


Astral Wars: Episode I

by treya_barton



Series: Astral Wars [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2020-06-24 09:49:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19721224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treya_barton/pseuds/treya_barton
Summary: The Kingsglaive is a group of rebel forces fighting against the Niflheim Empire, an Imperialist planet that has been aggressively taking over planets opposed to their rule in the Galaxy.  They have developed a super weapon that is rumored to be capable of destroying planets and even overcoming the great barrier King Regis Lucis Caelum has enacted to keep the planet Lucis protected from Imperial rule.  Their only hope is a set of plans stolen from the Empire that will hopefully provide them with a way to destroy the weapon before it's too late.  The plans are currently on their way to the Crown Prince of Lucis Noctis Lucis Caelum, who anxiously awaits their arrival...





	1. Chapter 1

Noctis was standing on the bridge of his ship the _Star of Lucis_ , a sleek ambassadorship that he used when on official business for his family. Not only was it elegant with its long, angular design, but it was secretly a stealth ship and much faster than anticipated on first glance so Noctis could get himself out of sticky situations. Unfortunately, he knew today his luck had finally run out and he would be unable to escape as he so often had in the past. He was wearing his official raiment, a black suit that was fitted with leather armor and adorned with gold accents and a black cape, due to recently meeting with the Chancellor of Niflheim on the planet Altissia which was considered neutral ground between the Empire and his planet. Lucis had never signed on with the Empire and instead had a tenuous agreement with them that they would be allowed to operate independently as long as they did not involve themselves with the Kingsglaive, a rebel group that was composed of people whose planets had been forcibly acquired by the Empire and were fighting to win them back. 

The only reason Lucis had not met the same fate was due to the fact Noctis’s family had inherited an ability they simply referred to as the Force from a Crystal located on their planet that enabled Noctis’s father to uphold an impenetrable barrier around Lucis for its protection. The only issue was a barrier of that magnitude was heavily draining on his life and it had aged his father beyond his years. It is also why Lucis since before entering the agreement had already been secretly aiding the Kingsglaive; in fact, Noctis’s trip to Altissia had mainly been a distraction so rebel forces could steal plans for a massive weapon the Imperials were building called _Zegnautus Keep_. It was both a space station and a super weapon and the Kingsglaive were afraid that not even the Lucian’s barrier would be able to hold up against it. In fact… Noctis looked up as the door to the bridge opened, revealing Cor Leonis, the head of his father’s Crownsguard and known by most as the Immortal due to the impossible battles he had survived. He was a stern, quiet man, but steadfastly loyal to his home planet and to the royal family. In his hand was a small chip that had just arrived from the only surviving Kingsglaive who had gone on a suicide mission to steal a copy of the plans in the hopes of finding a weakness they could exploit.

“Is that it?” Noctis asked, dark blue eyes bearing down into steel gray. Cor nodded before stepping forward and placing it in his hands.

“It is,” he simply replied. “Niflheim should be here soon. Prince Ravus was in fast pursuit,” he explained.

A pinched expression crossed Noctis’s face at the name, but he didn’t comment. “Iggy!” he shouted instead, and moments later a protocol droid walked over from where he had been stationed on the bridge. He was humanoid in appearance and had an elegant frame while wearing a slim fitting suit as if he was a fashionable butler. He even wore glasses although it was entirely unnecessary since he had been designed with the most state of the art technology available on Lucis for Noctis’s fifth birthday. Noctis had grown up with 1GN1S and always affectionately called him Iggy or Specs. The droid had been specifically designed to act as his Chamberlain and could both strategize for him and run the palace and take care of his daily needs such as food and scheduling. 

“Yes, Noct?” he asked. In formal situations he always referred to Noctis as Your Highness, but the prince insisted on the nickname at any other time.

“I need you to take this and store it for me. You’re going to make sure it gets delivered to Luna,” he explained. “Cor, you’re going with him.”

“Your Highness,” Cor replied sharply, and Noctis narrowed his eyes at him.

“That’s an order, Leonis,” he replied cooly, and although Cor continued to glare, he held his tongue. “There’s a planet we will be coming upon shortly – Leide I believe it is. It’s a remote desert planet…”

“I know what Leide is,” Leonis interrupted. “What I do not know is why you are not going yourself.” His eyes regarded his prince worriedly, and they all began to hear the alarms on the bridge start to go off as they spotted the white and purple Imperial destroyer that was Ravus’s flagship pop out of hyperspace.

“They won’t hurt me,” Noctis replied. “They’ll want to try to gather information from me and at least at this moment they still seem to want to keep peace with Lucis. I can buy you a little more time. You’re the only one that I know who can ensure those plans get delivered safely.” Noctis placed a hand on Cor’s arm before gripping it tightly. “The needs of the universe are more important than me.”

Cor let out a deep sigh. “You must also be kept safe. You know the prophecy…”

Noctis shook his head. “I will be safe. If you stay here…I am not so sure.” Noctis was looking back at the Imperial ship, which appeared to be in the process of charging its large canons. He knew that his shields would hold out at least long enough to get Cor and 1GN1S to Leide. While he was certain they would not hurt him since he would be an important political prisoner, he was honestly unsure about the other crew on the ship. While he didn’t want to see any of them harmed, that was double for Cor who was almost like an uncle to him.

“Remember your mission,” Noctis replied, before releasing his grip. Cor clenched his jaw before sweeping out of the room, 1GN1S having to hurry to keep up with the towering man’s long strides. Noctis watched them both leave the bridge before he began shouting orders to the crew, adrenaline building as the Imperial ship bore down on them, a large vessel looming over them and several times the size of Noctis’s small stealth ship. Noctis listened as Cor went over his initial checks over the comlink, and he strained his ears to hear the soft hiss of the pressure change in the hanger bay as the escape pod was released, unable to see it as it silently drifted away due to the cloaking technology they had built into it using the power of the Crystal. It had been meant as the final form of protection for the prince, and he closed his eyes and said a small prayer to the Astrals to protect Cor as he escaped into the abyss. His thoughts were interrupted as the Imperial ship began to fire on his vessel, completely ignoring the normal protocol which was to send communication first and to fire a warning shot if there wasn’t a reply. Noctis’s ship was also clearly identifiable since it was the only one of its design, so due to their lack of protocol he knew that they were aware that the plans had been brought to his ship. Noctis ordered the ship to return fire, a futile effort since the ship had been designed more for stealth and speed than for combat; it had been meant for him to get away, not to have a last stand.

Cor, meanwhile, watched as the _Star of Lucis_ began to grow smaller and smaller as they flew away, and felt sick as he watched the Imperial destroyer open fire. He wished there was more he could do than feel like a coward, and he kept his eyes trained on the ship until he noticed its trajectory change as it finally got caught in the other ship’s tractor beam and began to be pulled on board. He hoped that Noctis was right and that he would be spared as a political prisoner, and said a small prayer for the souls of the other Crownsguard on board, knowing that they would fight well to defend their prince but were woefully outnumbered when it came to the Imperials. Next to him, the prince’s Chamberlain droid was the one guiding the escape pod toward the planet’s surface, and doing all the calculations for the navigation as he flew. Cor had to admit that 1GN1S was very impressive and truly one of a kind – there were no other droids like him in the galaxy. 

“I want you to take us to these coordinates,” Cor said, pulling up a hologram of the planet Leide and pointing out a specific destination. The planet was dry and dusty, with nothing but patches of grass that grew more like weeds in certain areas for vegetation. There was one decent sized city – Hammerhead – but other than that most of the rest of the planet was small settlements and vast empty space due to how hard it was to irrigate the hard, rocky soil. However, even with those harsh conditions, it wasn’t the first time Lucis had dealt with the planet, and they had in fact been the ones to colonize it back when Lucians first started exploring the Galaxy a millennium ago. Which is why there was a specific place that Cor had in mind when they reached the planet.

“Why there, sir?” 1GN1S asked curiously.

“Well, if I can’t help Noctis out directly, then I will at least get him started on the next step in fulfilling the prophecy,” Cor said with a heavy sigh. “Somewhere on that planet is one of the weapons of his ancestors, and he’s going to need it if he’s to one day become the King of Light. Last I checked, the Tomb of the Wise is supposed to be somewhere in there. Once we find it and the sword, we will find someone who will be able to shuttle us off the planet.”

1GN1S was quiet for a moment, and Cor glanced at him. He wasn’t overly fond of droids, and if he was honest with himself it was why he outright hated MTs that were like a cross between a droid and a human. 1GN1S was the only exception, for he honestly often felt more human than many humans actually did, including himself if he were honest. Cor wondered what was going on in the droid’s circuits that acted as his brain. “I hope Noct will be ok,” he finally said, his voice somehow managing to come across as worried even though he always spoke with an even tone.

“Me too,” Cor thought to himself although he didn't voice his worries. Moments later they were both jolted as the escape pod hit the planet’s atmosphere and began to shake as they left orbit and plummeted down to the planet. 1GN1S made the appropriate calculations and soon the space pod began to fly more smoothly, although they still felt the tug from the speed at which they were flying until the droid began to slow them down as they got closer to the surface. He landed them gently on a flat area of red rock that was within the coordinates that Cor had pointed out for them, the surrounding space empty and devoid of any of the settlements scattered across the planet’s surface. Although the people were technically Lucian at one point, by this time they considered themselves the people of Leide due to the lack of contact with the crown city Insomnia because of how remote they were. In fact, not even the Empire really had a presence there since there wasn’t much of value on the planet. That is, except for the Sword of the Wise.

“Hopefully this won’t take too long,” Cor grumbled to himself as the hatch to the pod popped open, immediately blasting them with the sweltering dry heat of the planet and sweeping red dust into the cabin. Cor grimaced as he stepped outside, and he accepted Ignis’s handkerchief to tie around his mouth in order to protect himself from breathing in too much dust. As he looked out across the barren surroundings, he felt fortunate that they weren’t too far from Hammerhead and should be able to make it within a day’s travel as long as it wasn’t too terribly hard to find this tomb. He pulled out the emergency pack and bag containing supplies and food that was always stored in the pod before stepping outside, 1GN1S soon joining him. Cor was worried about how the climate and the dust would be on the droid and whether he could travel around in such an environment, but the droid appeared unfazed and seemed to be moving along just fine. Cor chuckled to himself before glancing up at the sky, unable to see anything past the bright light of the planet’s sun and the thick atmosphere of the planet. Still, he couldn’t help but squint his eyes against the glare and hope for any sign that his prince was alright, before finally giving up and beginning his search for the sword.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis is interrogated by the Chancellor of Niflheim while Cor searches for the Tomb of the Wise.

The Prince of Lucis sat in the cramped detention cell, form hunched over on the cot that extended from the wall. Over and over again he replayed the sounds and haunting images of the MTs storming his ship and massacring his crew who heroically did their best to protect him even though it was in vain. Noctis had fought back alongside the Crownsguard, and for a short period of time they had managed to hold their own until Ravus had entered the fray, overpowering Noctis’s crew and eventually Noctis himself. Once he had incapacitated Noctis, the battle had quickly come to an end and the remaining crew had been ruthlessly slaughtered instead of taken captive. Noctis was sickened – and furious – but powerless to do anything.

The decision hadn’t been Ravus’s, who had been shouting orders to tie up the crew and take them captive. No, it had been Brigadier General Caligo who had entered the ship once the fighting was over and, after smirking at Noctis, had ruthlessly given the order to execute all prisoners except the prince. Ravus had looked furious, but although he had been given a position of power in the government, he himself was also essentially a political prisoner and he hadn’t been able to do anything but stand by and watch. He then had been the one to drag Noctis to his cell, knowing that the prince would have done something foolish and attempted to attack Caligo if it had merely been the MTs escorting him away.

Noctis knew that as long as Cor got the plans to the Kingsglaive his crew’s sacrifices wouldn’t be in vain, but their needless deaths still weighed heavily on his mind. He leaned back and rested his head against the cold metal wall before staring up at the low ceiling of his cell. He knew that they had summoned the Chancellor of Niflheim to come and attempt to pry information out of him about the Kingsglaive, and he was certainly not looking forward to it. It wasn’t the idea of torture that bothered him – he had been through training for that and was prepared to face it. No, it was the man himself who always made Noctis’s skin crawl. He could already imagine how the man would mock and taunt him, and it made his blood boil just thinking about it. Noctis tightened his fist and banged his head against the wall, hating the fact that he was essentially powerless to do anything at the moment. He then heard the sound of footsteps making their way down the hall along the metal plates of the detention cellblock, and he sat up with narrowed eyes. He’d recognize that stride anywhere – it seemed the Chancellor was finally here to see him. Sure enough, moments later the steps stopped outside his door and Noctis stared at it intently, body tense as he waited. The cell door slid open with a hiss and the Prince of Lucis found himself staring into the smug, amber eyes of Ardyn Izunia, the Chancellor of Niflheim. “I did not expect to see you again so soon,” the Chancellor greeted him, sarcasm dripping in his tone as he stepped forward, flanked by two MTs and a floating, black orbis droid that Noctis knew was used for torture. Behind him, the door slid back closed with another hiss, leaving Noctis trapped with the man he hated most in the galaxy.

On Leide, Cor and 1GN1S had been wandering for hours trying to find the tomb. The droid was beginning to look the worse for wear with his normally impeccably tidy suit covered in dust and his silicone coating covered with a fine red film as well. Fortunately, it hadn’t seemed to have gotten into his joints for he was still moving along pretty easily. Cor, meanwhile, knew he probably also looked ridiculous with the red dust covering his black uniform and becoming a sticky mess where it mixed with the sweat on his skin. He was grateful for Ignis’s handkerchief even if he knew he probably looked comical with the piece of silk wrapped around his nose and mouth. Cor stopped to take another sip of water, his mouth and throat parched from the dry heat, and surveyed his location. The escape pod had long since left from his view, and while he had the spatial awareness to make his way back if needed, he knew most people would have certainly been lost with how featureless the land was. 

“See anything unusual?” Cor asked the droid. He was having the droid scan as they traveled since he was able to pick up on things that not even the Immortal could with his sharp instincts. So far, they hadn’t found any leads, but this time he was met with an affirmative.

“The outcropping of rocks to the west appear to have a hollow chamber,” 1GN1S replied, and Cor turned his head to see the area in question. The rocks did appear pretty geometric in shape, and although they had been worn down over the years it was quite possible it was the manmade structure he was looking for.

“Let’s go check it out,” Cor replied, his pace picking up now that they had finally spotted something of interest. The droid had difficultly matching his pace since he was even more hindered by the dusty soil than Cor, and the head of the Crownsguard soon had to slow down. He did not want to pull too far away from the droid carrying the precious plans he needed to deliver to the Kingsglaive. Although the Imperial presence was limited on Leide, he would not be surprised if they would come looking for the plans once they discovered they weren’t on the _Star of Lucis_. He would have to be careful once they got to Hammerhead since both he and the prince’s droid were recognizable by the Empire.

Once they arrived at the outcropping of rocks, Cor and 1GN1S carefully made their way around it while looking for any sort of entrance. There wasn’t anything obvious, but with the droid’s scanners he was able to make out an area that was sunken into the soil due to erosion. It appeared the sand and dust had been settling around the original tomb and over time it had covered up the entrance. 

Cor used the scabbard for his sword to help him dig down until he could form a large enough hole for him to crawl into the original entrance, before dropping down into the tomb, relishing in the much cooler chamber that was protected from the heat by the thick walls of the rock. The chamber was a pretty simple structure without much decoration inside, although Cor didn’t know if that was due to the climate eroding it away or if it was by design. In the middle of the tomb was a heavy stone sarcophagus shaped like the armor worn by Noctis’s ancestor, and laying in the hands of the figure was the Sword of the Wise. Cor stepped forward, marveling how after all this time the sword was in pristine condition, still gleaming from where the light hit it from the hole he had dug and looking as sharp as his own. He pulled the sword carefully from the sarcophagus before wrapping it in some cloth from his pack and tying it to his back to make it easier to carry. Cor then climbed his way back out of the tomb, popping his head back up into the desert heat and immediately missing the coolness of the tomb. 1GN1S helped pull him out and Cor did his best to dust himself off from the soil that covered him even worse due to his digging.

“Found it,” Cor grunted, before turning his head in the direction of Hammerhead. “All we have to do now is find a way off this planet.”

While they began to trek their way toward the only city on the planet of Leide, Noctis was recuperating from his interrogation. He was stretched out on the metal slab protruding from the wall that acted as his cot, body aching and mind still sluggish from the truth serum they had used on him. Noctis had been asked about the location of the plans, which he denied knowing about, and the location of Kingsglaive base of operations, which he had eventually revealed as the small mining planet of Balouve. Noctis had been following his training which was to give the semblance of an honest answer to throw off the Empire while protecting the truth; Balouve was in fact a small outpost that the Kingsglaive occasionally used and by giving them a true location he was buying Cor time to get the plans to their real base of operations. He could tell that Ardyn knew he was holding back the truth, but the man between his taunting and cruelty had not seemed to mind. In fact, when he had finally left, he had leaned in close, whispering in the prince’s ear, “You are going to regret holding your tongue.” 

The Chancellor had then left, for he had been summoned back to Gralea the capitol of Niflheim by Emperor Aldercapt. Honestly, his words were bothering Noctis, who could tell that the Chancellor had been serious when he spoke them. He wondered what the Empire had up their sleeve this time. Noctis was about to find out, for his thoughts were interrupted as his door slid open again, revealing Caligo who was flanked on each side by some MTs. Noctis stood up quickly, ready to lunge at the Brigadier General, but he nearly toppled over in the process due to the drugs that were still coursing in his system. He was apprehended by two of the MTs while Caligo laughed mockingly at him. “I have something I want to show you, Your Highness,” he said, and Noctis picked up on his gloating tone with dread in his stomach. Whatever it was the Empire was planning, it couldn’t be good. Noctis was cuffed before being forced to follow Caligo, somehow managing to keep his head high in spite of his wooziness and pain from Izunia’s torture. 

They made their way to the bridge of the ship, watching the stars stream by around them as they passed through hyperspace, and Noctis was surprised to realize he was not on Ravus’s ship as he had thought. The bridge was much too large – in fact, based on the size, he realized it felt more like being on a space station than on an actual ship. When Ravus had incapacitated him earlier they must have taken him someplace else while he had been unconscious. The man in question was also standing on the bridge, his face impassive and his stance tense. Noctis was getting a sinking feeling in his gut, especially when the Prince of Tenebrae refused to meet his eyes. The space station they were on began to slow down as it approached their destination, and Noctis looked out in horror as they popped out of hyperspace right next to his home planet of Lucis. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded, turning to face Ravus who was technically in charge even if he was well aware the power really lay with Caligo.

He was unsurprised when it was Caligo who spoke. “Balouve is far too remote of a planet to really show off the power of our fully operational space station,” the man spoke, also gazing out at the planet of Lucis. “What do you think, Your Highness. Can your father’s shields hold out against the power of _Zegnatus Keep_?” Noctis felt a chill run up his spine as he was suddenly faced with his worse fears.

“What are you talking about? Lucis has a treaty with Niflheim,” Noctis heatedly replied, trying to pull away from the MTs but unable to as they steadfastly held him in place.

“A treaty you broke when you aided the rebels,” Caligo replied. “What better way to crush the Rebellion than by showing not even Lucis can face the power of the Empire?” Before Noctis could reply, he turned to face the crew. “Ready the canon,” he snapped, and Noctis began to struggle harder as he heard the large canon in the space station begin to power up. He watched as a fleet of Crownsguard made their way toward the station as well, more than likely to try to find out what was going on or to open up communications since it appeared Caligo hadn’t opened the channels to Lucis. The space station turrets picked them off before they had a chance to maneuver away. 

“Ravus,” Noctis begged, turning to the brother of his best friend. They had all grown up together, and while Ravus had stayed with the Empire when Tenebrae fell into their clutches, Noctis was hoping that there was still some part of the man willing to help.

Ravus’s jaw clenched and he turned to Caligo. “The boy has a point,” he began. “Have we cleared this plan with the Emperor? Such an action may cause more to flock to the Kingsglaive in support.”

“The orders were directly given by the Chancellor before he left,” Caligo replied. “Once people see what we are capable of, they will cower in fear. The rebellion will crumble.” 

The Chancellor’s words flitted through Noctis’s head, “You will regret holding your tongue,” and he suddenly felt light headed. His father, his people! 

“We are at maximum power, sir,” one of the members of the crew replied. Noctis’s eyes trailed over the bridge, and other than Ravus who did seem bothered by what was about to unfold, the rest of the crew didn’t seem phased at all over the mass genocide they were about to commit. 

“You may fire when ready,” Caligo replied, tone almost bored although his eyes shined with glee. Noctis watched in horror as the canon was locked into place before, with a press of a button, it fired upon his planet. He was unable to pull his eyes away as it penetrated and decimated the barrier formed by his father, severing his connection to him moments before it broke through the planet’s atmosphere and made its way to the core of the planet. It appeared the shock of the barrier being destroyed had killed his father moments before the actual destruction of the planet, for his life had so been tied into the magic that he had been unable to survive the shock. Noctis fell to his knees as he felt the lives of the billions of people on Lucis sever as the planet’s core erupted from the attack, causing the entire planet to blast apart. Noctis’s eyes stared at the empty space that had formerly held his home planet, numb to the celebrations around him over the success of their “test” of power. 

Noctis’s numbness gave way to anger, and he suddenly lept up, throwing off the MTs that tried to hold him at bay and leaping for Caligo. Before he could reach him, however, Ravus grabbed hold of him with his mechanical arm that held him with a vicelike grip. “I will return the prince to his cell,” Ravus said, dragging him away as Noctis glared back at Caligo’s smug face through tear stained eyes. He slumped forward, not resisting as Ravus half dragged and half carried him back to the detention block, still reeling from feeling the lives tied to the Crystal cease to exist like that. He felt faint, this time not due to the drugs, and he wondered why he was still able to feel the presence of the Crystal itself. As far as he knew it should have been on the planet which meant it also should have been destroyed, but his connection to the Force remained as strong as ever. He was too distraught to give it more of a passing thought, however, since his aching body was now also wracked with grief. Ravus soon had him back in his cell, laying him almost gently on the cot as he gave the other prince a pitying look. He too had his family taken from him by the Empire, with his mother killed during the invasion and his sister disappearing soon afterward to join the Kingsglaive. Many of his own people on the small, peaceful planet of Tenebrae had also been killed, with those remaining living in fear under Imperial rule.

Noctis knew that Ravus held an anger against his father, feeling like Regis had abandoned his planet to the Empire in order to protect Lucis, but with the utter eradication of his planet both men were in much the same position. Ravus silently left Noctis to his grief, and the prince curled up on the cot, mourning the loss of his father and his people who he had failed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cor and IGN1S meet a pair of pilots in a bar in Hammerhead willing to take them to Lucis while Magitek units swarm outside looking for them.

The only appealing thing about Hammerhead was the fact it was so remote and devoid of resources that it was barely on the Empire’s radar. It’s the only reason why Prompto and his copilot Gladio used it as their base of operations, picking up jobs for cargo runs that were under the table with sizable upfront payments and promises of even better rewards if the job was completed. At least, it was normally what was appealing about the dusty, remote planet. Prompto took a sip of his drink before nervously glancing outside the window of the bar, noticing another MT making his rounds along the road outside. In the past hour he had noticed a sudden influx of Magitek units in the area, something usually unheard of on the planet.

“Calm down,” his copilot said with his gruff, rumbling voice, noticing the direction of his gaze.

“I’m cool as an alstroom,” Prompto retorted, although the way he was shifting uneasily in his seat betrayed his true feelings. Gladio rolled his eyes, but he understood why his companion was so nervous. If he were human, he may have felt the same, but Gladio came from a planet of warriors and seeing the MTs outside only made him bristle with anger for what they had done to his planet and his people. Gladio was a Titan, a race of highly intelligent warriors, both renown for their incredible strength and advanced weaponry, although it had done little to protect them from the might and resources of the Empire. The only thing keeping Gladiolus from heading outside to unleash some of that hostility on the unsuspecting androids outside was the fact he didn’t want to endanger the man who had saved him from his captivity and given him the chance to avenge his people.

Gladio was a tall, broad man with long, unruly dark hair and an impressive tattoo of a bird of prey from his planet covering his entire back and his arms. He always proudly had it on display, not needing to wear a shirt due to his tough skin protecting him from most weapons and his hot nature keeping him warm even in the impersonal chill of space. He wore black leather pants and heavy boots and kept a large bowcaster strapped to his back, the Titan equivalent to a blaster that was more powerful but also too heavy for most humans to wield. 

Prompto, meanwhile, was a much smaller, more slender man even by human standards. What he was missing in bulk he made up for with speed and a deadly accuracy with the blaster that was never far from his side. He had a white, long sleeved shirt with the sleeves pushed up so they didn’t cover his forearms, a black vest, and black pants with a red stripe running along each side with black boots that folded over at the top, revealing the white inner lining. He also had a leather band covering his wrist that looked well-worn with age. Prompto had blond, spiky hair that half covered his right eye in an asymmetrical long bang and piercing blue-violet eyes. While Gladio was an expert on all of the different weapons on Prompto’s ship _Quicksilver_ , Prompto was an expert on keeping her running by his improvised repairs and constant tinkering. They made a strong team and had been managing to survive in the rough outer rim territories for the past few years with only each other to lean on.

Their attention was soon drawn away from the activity outside to something even more unusual that had just stepped into a bar. A tall, imposing man with steely eyes and a scowling face was covered in red dust and walking with an obviously very expensive Droid with ash blond hair and piercing green eyes dressed in an impeccable suit and wearing glasses although it was entirely unnecessary for a Droid. He appeared humanlike, and the only reason Gladio and Prompto had been able to tell he wasn’t actually human was the way the dust slid off the silicone that formed his skin, leaving a trail of red dust on the already dirty floor of the bar. To both of their chagrin, the strange man had set his steely gaze on them and purposefully strode forward before stopping at their table. “Are you pilots?” he asked, his tone clipped and coming across as more of a demand than a question.

Prompto raised his eyebrow before leaning back in his chair. “Who’s asking?” he asked, as Gladio glowered at the man. He could tell that the man and the Droid probably meant trouble, and he began to piece together that it was highly possible it was related to the commotion outside.

“Someone with money,” the man grunted, pulling up a sum on his comlink and flashing it at both him and Gladio, causing Prompto’s eyes to widen in surprise. “And more once we get to our destination.”

“Which is?” Prompto asked, still trying to process the number of zeroes he had seen on the screen. It had been awhile since they had accepted a job with such a big payout.

“Lucis,” he simply replied, and at that Prompto and Gladio exchanged glances. The tensions between Lucis and Niflheim were well known, but at the same time the planet was guaranteed to have zero Empire influence due to that shield surrounding the planet. That shield was also the reason why Prompto and Gladiolus had never been to see it.

He leaned forward. “Are you able to travel to Lucis?” he asked suspiciously, for entrance to the planet was rarely granted by those not native to it. 

The odd man let out a low chuckle. “I am allowed access,” he replied cooly.

Gladio continued to glare at him, before he leaned toward Prompto and said in the growling language of the Titans, “I believe this man is part of the Crownsguard.” The way he carried himself seemed very warriorlike and Gladio was able to recognize by certain tells that he was a trained soldier. “In fact, he may very well be the head.” Cor the Immortal was a legend in the Galaxy for his heroic exploits and narrow escape of death on several occasions, and as Prompto looked more carefully he began to recognize some of his more well-known features, the infamous scowl being one of them. The fact that he was a Crownsguard and needing a lift so far from home was giving Prompto an uneasy feeling, especially with the MTs teeming outside. He wanted to avoid encounters with them as much as possible, even though he knew his partner’s feelings on the matter were quite the opposite. Prompto glanced at him, noticing that Gladio had carefully made his expression impassive so as to not sway his decision. He could tell by the tension in his spine how he truly felt, however, and he let out a sigh. Gladio had been hoping for an opportunity to confront the Empire in some way, and helping out someone from the nation well known to be their political enemy would be just the thing. Plus, it was a _lot_ of money.

“Ok, you have yourself a pilot,” Prompto said, pulling out his own comlink so the terse man could transfer over the funds. Once the transaction was complete, Prompto chugged down the rest of his drink before standing up, trying not to feel too tiny in comparison to who was very likely Cor Leonis, the tall Droid, and his co-pilot who towered above them all. “I assume you probably don’t want to be out there,” he said, nodding his head toward the streets which were starting to fill with even more MTs.”

“I would prefer to avoid it,” the man replied, and Prompto nodded almost to himself before making his way out into the hall of the bar, Gladio following protectively close behind him. The imposing man and the Droid followed quietly as they weaved their way through the building, which was really a large complex of businesses and a maze to people who did not often frequent Hammerhead. Fortunately, Prompto knew every nook and cranny and soon had them at the hangar bay. Unfortunately, MTs were already making their rounds, searching around for what Prompto assumed to be his new client and the Droid. They all kneeled behind a large, steel cargo box as they surveyed the scene and Prompto tried to come up with a plan of action. He really didn’t want to cause a commotion since he relied on Hammerhead for business and especially didn’t want the Empire on his tail. 

“Which ship is yours,” the stern man asked quietly from where he kneeled down next to him.

“The silver one,” Prompto murmured, carefully pointing at it. Because it was bright and shiny, it definitely stood out, but it was so fast that it hardly mattered. Prompto looked at his ship fondly, and suddenly couldn’t wait to be on board her again. 

The taller man looked less impressed which deflated Prompto’s ego a little, but he knew the other man would come around once he was inside. “I’ll form a distraction. Take IGN1S with you and board the ship and prepare for departure. I will not be far behind.” Prompto’s eyes widened in surprise, but before he could protest the odd man thrust a large wrapped item he had been carrying on his back into Prompto’s hands. “Bring this with you. Keep it safe,” he said gruffly before standing up and striding confidently into the open, his hand on the long katana he had tied to his waist. Prompto and Gladio exchanged glances, thinking the man insane, while IGN1S regarded them cooly.

“You heard the Marshal,” he quipped, voice surprisingly posh for a Droid, and Prompto bit his lip.

“There is no way he’s going to make it,” he said, wondering if he and Gladio should join the man. Maybe with the three of them they would be able to fight off the MTs in the hangar.

“The Marshal can handle his own. I suggest we follow his orders,” the Droid replied, and Prompto let out a sigh. They heard the sound of blaster fire and Prompto and Gladio quickly peeked over the container, shocked to see that the strange man was brandishing what appeared to be a long, shiny sword covered by a blue, glowing energy field that was deflecting the blaster fire from the MTs, either ricocheting it back at them or deflecting it harmlessly away. He did indeed seem to be holding his own just fine, and it was what finally convinced Prompto and Gladio to follow his plan. 

They snuck around along the side of cargo boxes, the Droid following close behind them while Prompto cradled what he assumed to be a wrapped sword in his hands. Since the MTs were all distracted by Cor, they were able to easily make their way to Prompto’s ship and sneak on board. Once they had boarded, Prompto and IGN1S made their way to the cockpit while Gladio made his way down to the ship’s large blaster. Prompto handed the Droid the sword before getting into his seat, flipping the switch to turn on the ship, letting out a relaxed grin as she whirred to life, before flipping on the power to the blaster. He listened as Gladio strapped himself in downstairs and readied himself in the turret, before aiming the blaster at a group of MTs that were still firing away at the Marshal. 

Gladio let out an excited roar as he fired away, decimating the remaining MTs and giving Cor an opening to race toward the ship. Outside, more MTs began pouring in, looking around in confusion until they spotted the fugitive they were searching for and opened fire. True to his name, he managed to block or dodge their attacks, quite a feat since they were known to have precision aim, before leaping into the the ship that Prompto had left open for him. Once he was safely inside, Prompto sealed the opening before turning on the ship’s engines and preparing for a quick escape. Both Gladio and the Marshal stepped into the cockpit and strapped themselves in as Prompto prepared for takeoff. “Ready?” he asked with an excited grin, and before any of them could reply he set the engines to an appropriate speed and blasted them out of the hanger, knocking over several MTs that were unable to get out of his way and shooting into the freedom of the open sky. He spotted several Imperial ships in orbit around the planet, but wasn’t worried since he had outrun them many times before. The Marshal seemed much more impressed by the ship now as he noticed how well she responded to Prompto’s turns and twists as he avoided the fighter ships that were soon hot on their tail. Prompto was easily able to dodge their fire and stay ahead of the Imperial fighters with hairpin turns and sudden drops, feats that only very experienced pilots could normally pull off. He shot Prompto a discerning gaze, one that Gladio caught sight of, causing him to bristle until his attention was brought back to the fray outside when a missile exploded a little close for comfort, the blast knocking the ship due to the impact on their shield.

“Should I head back down to the blaster?” he asked, and Prompto shook his head.

“I’m getting us out of here,” he promised, flipping a few more switches and turning a dial as he prepared for the jump to hyperspace. Just as they burst out from the planet’s atmosphere, the Imperial Destroyers looming ahead while their fighter ships screamed in pursuit after them, Prompto warned, “Hold onto your seats,” before gunning it to hyperspace, shooting them past the Destroyers before they had a chance to fire or try to capture them with their tractor beam. Both Cor and IGN1S where nearly thrown from their seats, since they hadn’t thought to strap in, while Gladio and Prompto who were more used to it began setting their coordinates for Lucis.

“We should get there in about roughly 12 hours,” Prompto said, before turning around in his seat to face his clients. “So, tell me, what brings Cor the Immortal on board my humble ship?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quicksilver finally arrives at Lucis, but the ship's inhabitants are shocked to find it has been reduced to an asteroid field.

Prompto supposed he shouldn’t have been too surprised that the Marshal ignored his question, although he did feel a bit irritated when the man unstrapped himself and began to appraise the design of the ship. Gladio also unstrapped himself, looking pissed, but Prompto placed a hand on his arm and shook his head. It wasn’t worth getting into a fight. “Have any questions?” he asked, and Cor tilted his head.

“I can’t quite make out the design of the ship,” he admitted. “It looks like three or four different styles cobbled together.”

Now this did cause Prompto’s temper to flare for a moment since the one thing he took pride in was his ship. That is until his client added, “Whoever has been doing the mechanical work has been doing a remarkable job. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Prompto blushed, feeling a little shy at the praise, and Gladio spoke up for him. “Prompto’s the one who does all the work on the ship,” he explained, sounding proud of his friend and captain. “He’s done a lot of modifications to make her better than her original design.”

“I can see that,” the Marshal murmured to himself. “It is very impressive. We could use someone with his kind of talent…”

“What do you mean?” Prompto asked, and Cor again ignored him before leaving the cabin and heading to the main living quarters where Prompto and Gladio would hang out when not sleeping or in the cockpit. There was a table with booth seating on either side that they used for eating, cleaning weapons, or tinkering on different parts of the ship. Cor sat down and the droid sat next to him, causing Gladio and Prompto to slide in across from them.

“What I mean is the Glaive could use someone of both of your talents,” Cor finally replied, causing both Gladio and Prompto’s eyes to widen in surprise. It sounded like the rumors about Lucis’s ties to the Kingsglaive were true after all. Gladio leaned forward eagerly while Prompto felt his blood turn to ice.

“What is a Titan and a talented pilot such as yourself doing on a planet like Hammerhead?” 1GN1S asked curiously, and Prompto shrugged in reply.

“We normally take jobs running cargo for people. Hammerhead just happens to be our main base of operations,” he explained.

“Because of the usual lack of Imperial activity?” the droid asked pointedly, causing Prompto’s eyes to narrow.

“Because people will pay good money to ensure a job is completed off the radar,” he replied while crossing his arms. “Like the two of you for example.”

“And you will be paid handsomely,” Cor intercepted. “I do believe 1GN1S has a point though. I could tell you do not seem particularly fond of the Imperials. Why not join the Glaive instead of hiding out in the Outer Rim?”

Prompto hesitated before looking at Gladio who was pointedly avoiding his gaze. He didn’t know what to say since the Marshal had a point. Prompto _was_ being a coward, and while Gladio was being patient with him and understood why, it wasn’t fair to his friend. To his surprise, Gladio ruffled his hair before replying, “Maybe one day when we’re ready. For now consider this job our service to the cause.” He then stood up and stretched before heading off to do his daily exercise, leaving Prompto with the droid and the Crownsguard. Prompto noticed that Cor was eyeing him thoughtfully and suddenly felt self-conscious. He quickly stood up.

“I have to check on the ship since we did take some fire in our escape. Feel free to anything in the kitchen and let me or Gladio know if you need anything,” he said before quickly leaving the room. That left Cor and 1GN1S alone to discuss the turn of events.

“That young man seems very familiar,” the droid spoke, his green eyes glowing faintly as he was going through his extensive database.

“That’s because he is one of those MT clones,” Cor replied, before pulling out his sword to examine and clean it.

“How would a clone have overcome its programming?” 1GN1S asked in surprise.

“His programming, Iggy. Unlike with droids they are still human at the core, at least most of them are,” Cor grunted. “I’m not sure how though. It’s very impressive. That Titan as well – I am pretty sure he’s an Amicitia.”

“The royal family?” 1GN1S asked in surprise. “You don’t mean he’s…?”

Cor held up a finger to his lips and the droid quieted. “I do,” he replied. “Which is why I am hoping they end up reconsidering. I can understand why the kid seems so reluctant though.” Cor was highly interested in Prompto and the possibilities he opened up. He had never heard of an MT rebelling against their programming before and had a feeling the Empire was keeping it very under the radar. He looked it up just to be sure and saw a rather sizeable reward out for the young pilot by the Empire. It was no wonder he tended to stay in the outer rim territories in areas generally outside of Niflheim’s reach. He truly would be a great asset to the Glaive, especially if he could provide any insight into how he had managed to break away. The Titan as well would be a great asset since they were highly trained warriors. They had quite a few in the Glaive’s ranks, including one that he was sure Gladio would be very interested in meeting.

Cor soon had his sword gleaming and back in impeccable condition, and afterward he and the droid wandered around the ship, marveling at the different modifications her mechanic had made. Outside the ship was sleek and silver, a little flashy for Cor’s taste, but inside he could tell all of the choices the young man had made in adjusting the design to make her faster and more efficient. He knew a certain mechanic in the Kingsglaive that would probably take a liking to him and knew that she would love to get a chance to look at this ship. 

While he and 1GN1S explored, Gladio was wrapping up his training for the day and had gone to seek out his captain. He found Prompto staring blankly at an open panel on the wall where he appeared to be in the middle of fiddling with some of the wires. His shoulders were drooped, and Gladio could tell he was yet again beating himself up over something. Gladio smacked Prompto on the back, causing the blond to fall forward, just barely catching himself in time to avoid banging his head against the plating on the ship. “What was that for?” he asked grumpily, before returning to his work.

“What’s got you so deep in thought?” Gladio asked, leaning against the wall. “It’s not like you.”

Prompto frowned at Gladio’s teasing, but let out a sigh instead. “I feel like a bad friend,” he admitted, and Gladio tilted his head. “I know how much you want to join but…”

“But the Empire has it out for you and you already have a big price on your head,” Gladio pointed out. “I get it. I wouldn’t want to join until you felt comfortable doing it anyway.”

“You know, you could go with them, if you wanted,” Prompto pointed out and Gladio shook his head.

“Even without my life debt, I’m your friend. We’re sticking together,” he said, punching Prompto lightly on the shoulder. “Now stop pouting, it doesn’t suit you.”

Prompto stuck his tongue out at Gladio before returning his focus to his work, humming to himself and obviously in much greater spirits. Gladio couldn’t help but smile as he walked off, although he did have to admit he was definitely interested in the offer the Marshal had provided them. Maybe by the end of the trip Prompto may be able to come around, but he didn’t want to pressure him.

Finally, after several cycles, the autopilot on the navigation system began beeping, letting them know it was almost time for them to leave hyperspace. Prompto returned to the cockpit and began checking the coordinates while preparing for their arrival outside Lucis, and the others piled into the cockpit after him, ready to see the planet which was well known as being breathtakingly beautiful. Thus, they were all completely surprised when they arrived to find the area was instead an asteroid field.

“Shit!” Prompto cursed, immediately having to force the ship to dive down in order to avoid ramming directly into a particularly large asteroid that was looming in front of them. He just narrowly managed to avoid a hit, and was soon twisting and turning through the field of asteroids while wondering what on Eos was going on. “Did you not give me the right coordinates?” he asked as they dodged about, too focused to notice the expression on Cor’s face.

Gladio, meanwhile, did notice, and was surprised to see that the stoic man looked shaken. The droid was the first one to speak. “The Marshal provided the correct directions,” 1GN1S said, his voice somehow coming out a little sad. “This is the remains of Lucis.”

“What do you mean, the remains of Lucis?” Prompto asked, risking a moment to glance back at them before returning his focus to keeping them from being smashed into smithereens by giant, floating space rocks. “Planets don’t just turn into asteroid fields.”

“They do now,” Cor said quietly, his eyes carefully flicking through the debris as he searched for the one thing that could have caused such a travesty. His heart was heavy as he thought of his king and his homeland, but he was trying to keep his mind focused on the mission.

“What do you mean?” Gladio asked, also looking like he was in shock. Very little tended to phase a Titan, but a planet suddenly being destroyed like this was definitely not something he was expecting. The asteroid field was starting to thin out as Prompto navigated them out of it, and Cor was finally able to spot what he was looking for.

“That is the cause of the planet’s destruction,” he pointed out.

“You mean that small moon?” Prompto asked in confusion. “Wait, did Lucis have a moon?”

“That’s no moon,” Cor replied, leaning back in his seat. “That is a space station. Specifically, _Zegnautus Keep._ ”

Both Prompto and Gladiolus froze, and Cor silently regarded both of them. “It appears you have heard of it before.”

“There’s no way they completed it,” Prompto said, his hands tightly gripping the controls.

“I believe the evidence around us says otherwise,” 1GN1S replied, before turning to Cor. “Noct must be on board.”

Cor nodded in reply. “We have to get him off of there.”

“Whoah Whoah Whoah, hold on a minute,” Prompto argued. “The only place we’re going is out of here. I am not going anywhere near that thing. I didn’t sign up for this!”

“We did pay you,” Cor started to reply, and Prompto snorted.

“You paid me to take you to Lucis, not to sneak aboard an Imperial installation. I’ll return it all to you – I don’t need it.” Before he had a chance to try to get them out of there, however, they had drifted too close to the space station and the control panel suddenly died as they were caught in the tractor beam. “Shit!” Prompto said again, slamming his fists on the panel in frustration. The others could tell by the way his shoulders were trembling that he was terrified. Cor truly did feel for the young man, but he knew for them to pull this off they had to have a plan.

“Is there anyplace we can hide on this ship?” he asked, swiftly standing up. Gladio was looking at Prompto worriedly and placed his hand on his shoulder while speaking to him quietly in the Titan language. Cor gritted his jaw but gave them a moment, trying his best to keep his temper. It wasn’t their fault he had gotten them into this.

“Yes, under the deck plates,” Prompto shakily replied before standing up. “I use them to hide cargo.” He was no longer trembling although he was quite pale, and he led them to a particular deck plate in the middle of the ship. There was no way to tell it was any different from any of the others, but Prompto knelt down and easily pried it open, allowing them to drop inside before carefully lowering it back over them. “There’s a coating on the floor so radar and heat sensors won’t be able to pick us up,” Prompto explained. “It also dampens sound so they won’t be able to tell it’s hollow.”

“Quite clever,” 1GN1S replied before turning to look at Cor. “Any plans, Marshal?”

Cor nodded to himself before gathering the other three around, and they quickly began to hash together a plan to both save the Prince of Lucis and get them out of there. Not too long later, _Quicksilver_ was finally completely pulled into the main hangar of _Zegnautus Keep_ , where it landed with a soft thud.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto, Gladio, and 1GN1S go searching for Prince Noctis while Cor splits off to disable the tractor beam on the space station holding them captive.

On the main floor of the cargo bay was an area used by the head technicians to monitor traffic coming and going from the space station. There were currently two technicians puzzling over the silver ship that had suddenly appeared on their radar when it had popped out of hyperspace in the rubble that remained of Lucis. The ship was the first official witness of _Zegnautus Keep’s_ power. After a few moments of pondering, the first technician finally spoke up. “Hmmm…our scanners are not picking up any lifeforms, but the ship matches the one that escaped Hammerhead. Reports are that Cor Leonis and the Prince’s Droid were on board. 05953467 and 05953123, search the ship. See if you can find anything lurking on board.”

Upon his command, the two MTs closest to the hub that had been standing by activated and began moving toward the ship. The second technician shook his head before muttering, “Creepy,” under his breath. MTs were technically human clones, but they seemed more robotic than droids were with the way they completely relied on following orders. Droids, depending on their programming, sometimes took on their own personality with their AI, while MTs instead had their humanity stripped away and were emotionless dolls. They were the perfect soldier and nothing more.

The two MTs in question approached the ship that already had its hatch down waiting for them. Upon boarding they split up, each taking a side of the ship to explore, all the while using scanning technology on their helmets to search for signs of anyone on board. They were being fed information about potential fugitives on the ship along with an image of their appearance so they would know what to look for. They were following protocol and doing a sweeping search of the ship, blaster in hand as they scanned each nook and cranny for any signs of life. Unfortunately for both, they were too focused on scanning in front of them, and once an area had been scanned as clear they completely disregarded it so they could remain solely focused on their task at hand.

That allowed Cor and Gladiolus to sneak up on each after the MTs walked overhead and cleared the area, easily taking them out and dragging their bodies down into the hidden cargo area where Prompto and 1GN1S were waiting. Prompto was avoiding looking at them, especially when Cor and Gladio yanked off their helmets, revealing faces that looked disturbingly like his albeit with shaved heads. Gladio gently removed the armor from his MT, before laying the clone out on the floor and tying him up. Cor did the same, although he wasn’t as gentle, and soon they had two sets of armor laid out. “You are certain that they will not recognize that one MT is taller than he was before?” the droid asked as he began to fit armor on over his clothes.

“Not all MTs are clones and not all clones are exactly like m…them,” Prompto replied as he began to pull on the other set of armor. He was much quicker at it than 1GN1S and it was obvious he knew exactly how each piece fit. “Plus, most people don’t really look at MTs. They don’t view them as human so they tend to look past them.” Prompto had a bitter edge to his voice as he spoke, and it was obvious he felt very uncomfortable as the armor slid into place. It fit him perfectly, while it was obviously a little small on the droid.

“That is also within a droid’s realm of experience,” 1GN1S replied as he took off his glasses and slid them into his shirt pocket. He then pulled on the breast plate before finally covering his head with the helmet. As long as they did not look too closely, they would not be able to tell something was a little off with his armor which didn’t fit quite right. “How do I look?” he asked.

“Hopefully you look passable,” Cor replied, his eyes trained on Prompto. The blond pilot was staring down at the helmet, a strained look on his face. Prompto’s eyes lifted, and upon noticing Cor’s steely gaze he quickly slipped the helmet on. He, unsurprisingly, looked exactly like any other MT.

“Are you sure you’ll be able to disable the tractor beam?” Gladio asked Cor. Their plan was for 1GN1S and Prompto to disguise themselves as MTs and drag Gladio as their prisoner to the detention center so they could find Prince Noctis and get him loose. Cor, in the meantime, was supposed to disable the tractor beam so they would be able to escape.

“Do you doubt the Marshal?” 1GN1S asked incredulously. 

“I don’t think you can blame us, seeing as we’re on a space station the size of a small moon and staffed with probably a million people and half a million MTs,” Prompto replied, his voice slightly muffled by the helmet. “Even the stealthiest man alive cannot manage that.”

“Fortunately, I do not have to rely on stealth alone,” Cor replied, before lifting up his hand. He had what appeared to be a watch on his wrist, but after fiddling with it for a moment, a wave of light suddenly enveloped his body, reflecting the background around him and making him appear invisible. “What are your thoughts on the matter now?” Cor asked, almost seeming to be like a spirit since it was like the voice was disembodied with his reflective field.

“I’ve never seen anything like that at such a small scale,” Gladio replied in surprise. Sure, ships sometimes had cloaking devices when one could afford the expense, but he had not heard of anyone doing it at such a small scale. It was actually harder to cloak something small than it was something large due to the difference in surface area. “Is that a Glaive thing or a Lucian thing?”

Cor unsurprisingly didn’t reply. “I’ll tell you one thing – the Imperials would love to get their hands on something like that,” Prompto muttered. 

“You going to be able to do this?” Gladio asked him, unable to hide his concern. Everything hinged on how well Prompto would be able to play the part.

“Just watch me,” he said. He then stood up in one fluid motion, and it was as if his body had suddenly changed. His movements became more robotic and less natural and he was suddenly standing straight with perfect posture. Fortunately, since 1GN1S was a droid, he already had naturally robotic movements and it wasn’t hard for him to match Prompto’s gait once they began to move forward with Gladio handcuffed between them. 

Once they exited the ship, Cor split off from them and disappeared as he went to search for the tractor beam, while Prompto lead them directly to the control area. He moved in the most direct line toward them before stopping and waiting for direction from the technicians. “05953123, report.”

Prompto’s voice was dull and expressionless as he replied. “One lifeform found on board. The ship has been cleared. Lifeform has been taken prisoner.”

Gladio grunted and made a show of flexing his muscles, while both technicians looked coldly at him. The Empire looked down on races other than their own and treated them as less than human. “It appears you managed to find a Titan. It will be useful for hard labor,” the first one replied. Gladio let out a low growl in response, and it took everything in Prompto’s power not to react. “Take it to the detention center – cell block 3. I am sure General Glauca will be by to see it shortly.”

Gladio stilled upon hearing that name, and internally Prompto began to feel worried. That sounded like the same man who had killed King Clarus Amicitia, Gladio’s father when their planet was invaded by Niflheim. “Roger,” Prompto replied before he and 1GN1S fell in line as they began to walk toward the detention center. Fortunately, due to how MTs were programmed, they were being fed information on where to go in their helmets and did not have to guess. Although, honestly, the Empire tended to design their ships and space stations pretty similarly. Even though _Zagnautus Keep_ was at a much bigger scale, the general layout was the same that Prompto was used to.

They were quiet as they moved, since MTs only spoke to report and only then when told to. It wasn’t too long before they reached cell block 3, which was a station that was currently only manned by three guards. “Ah, yes, the Titan prisoner. Let us see if we can identify you,” the head guard commented as he stepped down from the control center and moved closer to them. As he moved, Prompto couldn’t help but pity him a little as he hit a small control he had been hiding in his hand, releasing Gladio’s handcuffs with a soft click. As Gladio lunged at the head guard, Prompto quickly took out the other two with a single shot for each with his blaster. Prompto was an excellent marksman, even for a former MT.

The head guard, meanwhile, was soon a broken heap on the floor. “See if you can find the Prince’s cellblock,” Prompto told 1GN1S as he proceeded to take out the security cameras. “We won’t have very much time. They will have noticed the commotion.” 1GN1S hurried to the control panel and got to work, soon proving that he had excellent hacking skills. It was obvious he was far more than a mere protocol droid. 

Prompto then turned to look at Gladio, who was abnormally quiet and had a steeled, unreadable expression on his face. “Gladio,” he called, trying to get his attention. Gladio didn’t even flinch. Prompto was a little nervous, for when his friend got into this mood he tended to be very dangerous. “Hey, Gladio, don’t forget what we’re here to do.” Prompto reached out to place a hand on Gladio’s arm, and the Titan reflexively jerked, knocking Prompto back into the wall with his strength. It also knocked him out of his daze. 

“Shit, you ok?” Gladio asked, his eyes losing their dangerous glint as he rushed to Prompto’s side. “You know not to touch me when I get like that.”

“It’s the fastest way to break you out of it,” Prompto replied, his voice sounding a bit dazed. It was very easy for Titans to become hyper focused and when they did, it was almost like they were in a trance since they were so fixated on whatever their goal was. In this case, Prompto knew it was revenge. “As I was saying – don’t forget our mission. Saving the Lucian Prince will be a much bigger thorn in the Empire’s side than facing you know who,” Prompto replied. He was afraid saying the name would cause Gladio to have a relapse. “At least, that’s what the Marshal said. I promise – you will have your chance again. We’ll make sure it happens.”

Gladio didn’t look pleased, but he also knew that Prompto was right. “Find him yet?” he asked 1GN1S. He could hear the sound of troops coming down the hall and knew that Prompto’s warning about not having a lot of time was proving to be true.

“Yes. He is in this cellblock in room XIV,” the droid replied. “We must hurry. It does not sound like we have much time.”

Gladio bit back the sarcastic reply he had in mind and instead ushered them down the hall. Once they reached cell XIV, Prompto lifted his hand up and used his wrist to scan a barcode, causing the console to beep before an electric voice stated, “05953234, access granted.” Prompto took a shaky breath before clutching his hand to his chest as the door slid open.

“You sure you wanted to do that? That’ll send a red flag in the system and let them know you’re here,” Gladio said in concern.

“There’s no other way. Blasting the door won’t open it and we don’t have time to try to hack it,” Prompto replied. 

Inside the room, a dark-haired young man was looking at them curiously from where he was sprawled out on the metal cot provided as his only comfort. He looked bruised and had a cut on his lip; it was obvious he had been tortured. “What do you want?” he asked, his voice sounding raspy. It was surprising he still had enough strength to give them a venomous look based on the condition he was in.

“Noct, what did they do to you?” the droid asked, sounding worried. Noctis’s brows rose in surprise and he sat up.

“Iggy?” he asked as the droid pulled off his helmet before moving forward to the Prince. He began scanning him for injuries while the Prince stared at the three of them, obviously wondering what was going on.

There were shouts further up the cellblock and Prompto let out a groan. It appeared they had finally run out to time. “While I’m sure you would both love to catch up, I’m afraid we’ve got to get moving,” he said, an urgent tone to his voice. “Although, I’m not sure where to…the detention center really only has one exit which is the entrance where the rest of them are right now…”

“Are you really an MT?” Noctis asked curiously as Ignis helped him to his feet. He was walking with an obvious limp although Prompto and Gladio pretended not to notice.

“Do I sound like an MT?” Prompto said with a huff before offering his shoulder for Noctis to lean on.

“I guess not,” Noctis replied, his voice apologetic. “Sorry you just look so much like them.” Prompto was a bit surprised by that – most people didn’t pay too much attention to MTs after all. “Iggy on the other hand – you’re obviously too tall. How did you manage to get here?”

“How about we just try to get out of here first. Then we can all catch up,” Gladio interjected. They stepped into the hallway and quickly had to duck in order to avoid getting hit by the immediate barrage of fire from the MTs slowly making their way down the corridor. Prompto began firing back, shots precise and deadly, and Noctis had to refrain from commenting. He definitely looked like an MT in that moment, although Noctis couldn’t imagine an MT acting on its own free will and joining their cause.

“What happened to Cor?” he asked as they slowly backed down the hallway as Prompto and Gladio created cover for them. Gladio had taken the blaster being held by 1GN1S.

“The Marshal has gone off to disable the tractor beam,” the droid replied. “He will meet with us back at the ship.”

“If we make it to the ship,” Prompto muttered under his breath. He and Gladio had picked off a few MTs, but more were pouring down the hallway. And Prompto knew that there would soon be some crowding in from the other side since the cellblocks formed one large grid, leaving them without a place to go. The situation was looking hopeless. “Got any ideas, big guy?” Prompto asked as they were both taking a brief moment to duck behind the pillars they were using as cover from the MTs’ barrage.

“I do have one but you’re not going to like it,” Gladio replied.

“I forbid it,” Prompto flatly stated. Gladio let out a shrug. Titans had tough skin that could withstand blaster fire up to a certain intensity, which meant he could act as a shield and rush in to try to take out as many as he could in the attempt to give them an opening. The problem was even with his height and strength Gladio would be eventually overrun by the MTs sheer numbers.

“I have an idea,” Noctis suddenly spoke up. To Prompto’s surprise, a weapon appeared out of thin air in the Prince’s hands with a flash of blue light. It looked like a sword.

“How did you do that?” Prompto asked in surprise, realizing that the rumors about the Lucian royal family having some sort of magical ability may have some merit after all.

Noctis shot him a grin before he dashed across the corridor, his body shifting and turning blue as he dodged around some of the blaster fire. He ended up next to Prompto and pressed against the wall, leaning into him a little in pain. “Noct, that was very reckless and irre…” the droid began to chide, but it seemed the Prince was not listening.

“What’s your big idea?” Gladio asked as he fired off a few more shots.

“This,” Noctis replied, and suddenly a glowing light field ran up his sword, similarly to what had happened back on Hammerhead to Cor’s weapon. Noctis then used it to slash open a grate located on the bottom of the wall. “No idea where this goes but it’s gotta be better than this,” Noctis said, and before anyone could stop him he shimmied his way through the grate before dropping down to whatever was below.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Prompto groaned, before firing a few more shots back down the hall. “I don’t know if you’ll be able to fit in there Gladio.”

1GN1S, who looked very worried over the turn of events, quickly dashed across the corridor before also sliding down the grate after the Prince. “Looks like we don’t have much of a choice,” Gladio grunted. He glanced at the grate before looking back at Prompto. “I can probably force it open more so I can fit, but there’s nothing stopping them from following us to wherever that is.” Once MTs had an order, they followed through with it until they were physically unable to.

“I can take care of that,” Prompto replied. He pulled a small device off of his belt that he had brought with him from the ship. It looked unassuming, like a small chip with a switch, but it was actually a pretty powerful explosive. It was not typically something a standard MT would be carrying. “Get to work on that grate,” Prompto ordered, as he began firing again at the MTs. As Prompto worked on holding them off, Gladio used his strength to tear at the grate until the hole was large enough for him to fit through.

“Don’t take too long,” Gladio said before dropping down, and Prompto quickly activated his small grenade before lobbing it down the cellblock toward the MTs. He then dove down the grate before the grenade exploded, its force ricocheting down the entire corridor, knocking out the remaining MTs in the hallway and covering up their escape route through the debris left behind. Prompto, meanwhile, was holding his breath as he slid down the chute, for he knew exactly where he was headed. Moments later he landed with a splash in the cell block trash compactor, gagging at the smell of the sewage surrounding them. He yanked off his helmet before turning to see the condition of his other companions. Gladio was making a face as he flicked piece of garbage off of himself while Noctis was struggling to remove his cape from his shoulders which was weighing him down. 1GN1S was trying to help him while also scanning the chamber. 

“The walls are blaster proof,” he commented. “But Noct should be able to get through with his sword.”

“That’s nice and all, but we will have to figure out a plan first before we go rushing back out there,” Prompto replied. “They’re definitely going to be on high alert and will be looking for us. And there’s far too much of a distance between us and my ship. And we’ll only be able to make it out of here even if we reach my ship if the Marshal is able to disable that tractor beam.”

“If I can assure you anything, it’s that Cor won’t fail us,” Noctis replied. His hair was plastered against the top of his head and his fine clothes were now ruined by the sewage, yet he somehow seemed to have an air of authority surrounding him. Prompto chalked it up to his royal background. “So, who, are you?” the Prince asked, tilting his head as he eyed the two of them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cor works on disabling the tractor beam while Prompto leads the others as they attempt to return to his ship.

Cor, meanwhile, was steadily making his way toward the tractor beam. He walked silently, although with the amount of foot traffic on the space station it was entirely unnecessary since the MTs and other personnel made enough noise to mask his presence anyway. He was paying attention to posted signs and between that and a general familiarity with Imperial facilities he had been making good time. He tried his best to keep his mind focused on the task at hand, but he couldn’t stop his thoughts from wandering back to the new reality he was faced with.

His king was dead. His home planet no longer existed. The Imperials had a super weapon capable of putting an end to the Kingsglaive’s rebellion. Cor felt pain shoot up his chest and he paused for a moment to clutch at it until it subsided. Cor had led a very rough life in his service to Lucis, and sometimes when he let his emotions get the best of him his body rebelled. At least that’s how he viewed it. Others called him “Immortal” but all the rough scrapes he had survived had certainly left a mark. After a few moments the pain subsided and he continued his way forward.

Although his heart was heavy for his king and his people, and the future faced by his new king, Cor knew he had a duty to follow. In order for the rebellion to survive they needed to get those plans to Lunafreya and the other Kingsglaive, and once that was accomplished Noctis needed to be guided on his journey to fulfill his destiny. Cor found it uncanny how, at this moment where the fate of the Galaxy hung in the balance, they would happen to meet an MT that had overcome his programming and the missing Titan prince. Clarus had been allied with Regis and the three of them had been old friends; his passing and the enslavement of his people had also taken a hard toll on Cor and his late king. 

‘The Astrals are brewing something,’ Cor realized, although he wasn’t sure if it would be for the better. A blessing from an Astral was often a double-edged sword. He hoped that the others had gotten to Noctis and that his young king was managing in spite of the heavy sorrow he was sure he carried on his shoulders; he could only imagine Noctis was forced to witness the terrible travesty inflicted on his people. Cor’s jaw tightened at the thought and he picked up his pace. He would have to trust the others to accomplish their task – he knew that 1GN1S wouldn’t let them lose focus and that Gladiolus was a warrior through and through and would be able to protect them. Even though Prompto was understandably scared, he seemed to have a strong survivor’s instinct and Cor knew he would use his background to their advantage. Now it was his job not to let them down.

He soon arrived at the terminal that controlled the tractor beam, and he made quick work of the panel used to open the door. He unscrewed it and spliced a few wires together, making quick work of the door and sneaking inside. Cor had years of experience practicing espionage against Niflheim at his disposal after all. Once he was inside, he made his way to the terminal and began the process of overriding the automatic controls to manual so he could begin the task of powering down the tractor beam; it would take minutes to power back up once off, giving them ample time to escape before the Empire realized what had happened.

Back at the trash compactor, Noctis’s question was met with stony silence. Noctis wasn’t entirely surprised, although he was a bit frustrated. While he appreciated that they had risked their lives to save him, he was bewildered by his sudden turn in luck and still full of anger over what the Empire had done to Lucis. As a result, his patience was running thin. “Seriously? You can answer any day now…” he snapped, causing the Titan to bristle at him. Noctis wasn’t afraid – although he honestly should be – since he had always grown up around them. His father had been friends with their former king after all.

“You’re still as much a brat as you ever were,” the Titan growled, causing Noctis’s brows to raise. That also caused the blond who looked like an MT to look between the two of them in surprise.

“You know the Lucian prince?” he asked.

Noctis’s eyes suddenly widened in recognition. He hadn’t seen Clarus’s son since they were kids, so while Gladio had always towered over him he still wasn’t used to him being quite that tall or muscular. It appeared the young Titan had fully grown into his size. “Gladiolus?” he asked incredulously. “You’re alive?” The two of them had never really gotten along, with Gladio having little patience for the more sheltered Lucian prince. Still, it was good to see he had managed to survive after being taken in by the Empire.

“Clearly,” Gladio replied. “At least for now. We still have to get back to the ship.”

“That doesn’t answer the other half of my question. Who’s your pal?” Noctis asked, turning back to the blond. He remained surprisingly mute, although earlier he had been launching sarcasm at him.

“His name is Prompto Argentum. He is a pilot that the Marshal hired to bring us to Lucis,” 1GN1S explained.

“And after what we got dragged into, I better be getting paid double the initial offer,” Prompto grumbled. He was moving along the wall, carefully feeling until he happened upon a small panel hidden in the wall. He pressed a button, causing rungs to pop out, giving them access to a hatch above the trash compactor. “We should move before they start this thing up. The next cycle should begin soon,” he commented. He didn’t give them time to answer and began climbing up, following by Gladio. The feathered tattoo spread across his back suddenly reminded Noctis of Clarus, and he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him.

“I know where Iris is,” he said, causing both Gladio and Prompto to immediately stop. Prompto stared down at his friend in surprise, while Gladio hesitated for a moment before swiveling to look down at him. “When we get out of here, I’ll be taking you to her. You should join us – both of you,” Noctis said, somehow looking commanding even though he was standing in a wet, sludgy pile of sewage with his cape a tangled heap below him after 1GN1S had helped him remove it.

“I don’t intend to do something as stupid as put myself in the Empire’s way again, Your Highness,” Prompto replied sarcastically, although he was looking at his friend worriedly. “I can’t speak for Gladio though.”

“We should get moving. Got a lot of ground to cover before we make it to the ship,” Gladio stated. Noctis let out a sigh – he couldn’t get a read on Prompto and Gladio had always been pretty stubborn. He eyed the rungs on the ladder wearily while his leg throbbed beneath him.

“Do you need help, Noct?” 1GN1S asked worriedly. He had been eyeing Noctis’s leg and the prince knew 1GN1S had probably picked up on his injury from the scans earlier. He had gotten it twisted during his struggle with the MTs after his planet had been destroyed.

“Nah, I’ve got a better idea,” he said, summoning his weapon again. Now that he was out of that cellblock which had somehow blocked his access to the Crystal (he still wasn’t sure how he still had it with Lucis gone), he could use his magic freely. Noctis steadily threw his sword, aiming for the wall right next to the hatch, and he leapt up, becoming a blue blur as he reached for his sword, traveling toward it and grabbing hold just as it lodged itself into the wall. He grinned cheekily at Prompto who had just reached the hatch, nearly slipping with a surprised yelp until Noctis grabbed hold of him, keeping him in place.

“So, you know how to get us back to your ship?” he asked. They would be popping out in an entirely different area of the space station, and Noctis knew their odds of getting past the Imperials and MTs while smelling of sewage were pretty low.

“Yeah, I think I can manage,” Prompto replied, easily finding another panel and sliding the hatch open. He carefully stuck his head out, looking both ways before stepping out into the hallway. To Noctis’s surprise, he offered him his hand and helped pull him through the hatch. They were in a small, cramped corridor, probably only used for maintenance on the compactor, so fortunately it was deserted. Gladio somehow squeezed through the narrow hatch behind them, before also offering his assistance to 1GN1S who was struggling with the ladder since it wasn’t what his body was designed for and he had pieces of sewage stopping up some of his joints.

“I will need a thorough cleaning after this,” 1GN1S sniffed as he peeled off the waterlogged MT armor to make it easier for him to move. Prompto did the same, since at this point the armor wouldn’t provide much cover – with the Prince of Lucis with them it would be pretty obvious they were the intruders. 

“So, how are we supposed to manage?” Noctis asked. He couldn’t help but feel skeptical. Sure, Prompto and Gladio had somehow managed to get them this far, but it was definitely starting to feel like the end of the line. He would have no idea how to navigate and even if they were all top fighters, they couldn’t fight against the sheer number of personnel on board.

“Trust me,” Prompto grinned at him. Although he was trying to exude confidence, Noctis could tell by the slight tremble in his step that he was also terrified. He did seem to at least have a plan, so the prince didn’t call him out on it. “This way, your royal highness.”

Noctis snorted. “I have a name,” he grumbled as he limped his way after him. Gladio crowded in behind him, obviously antsy over being separated from his companion, but there was no room in the cramped corridor for him to get around. 1GN1S, meanwhile, brought up the rear.

“Princess?” Gladio asked from behind him, and Noctis turned around to glare at him. “Don’t go starting that shit again,” he started to say, but he stopped as Prompto suddenly clamped his hand on his mouth. He was pressed close behind him, and Noctis could feel his racing heartbeat against his back. Down the hall from them, they suddenly heard the sound of rushing footsteps as a squadron of MTs rushed past their corridor. Thankfully, it was so narrow and dark none noticed them as they passed by. Prompto breathed a sigh of relief before releasing Noctis’s mouth, causing the prince to gag and cough from the smell of the sewage.

“That was close,” Prompto said.

“You ok in here?” Gladio suddenly asked, giving Prompto a look of concern, and Prompto froze before nodding.

“I’ll be ok,” he said quietly before leading them back down the corridor, still looking pretty shaken. Noctis watched him go, and a sudden thought crossed his mind. The MTs they had captured in the past always seemed to have a type of claustrophobia; scientists had speculated it was residual from being in the test tubes as they were being cloned. Prompto was the right build and had the same face – even though he had managed to break from his programming it was probably much the same. “You coming, Noct?” Prompto asked from up ahead, still facing forward, and Noctis blinked in surprise before a soft smile crossed his face upon hearing his name. Somehow, in spite of his circumstances, Prompto was managing to stay strong and Noctis couldn’t help but find it a bit admirable. Hopefully he’d get him to change his mind.

“Yeah,” he said, voice neutral in spite of his shift in mood. He hurried after him, and Gladio and 1GN1S followed suit. They were soon at the hallway the MTs had passed by on, and Prompto carefully leaned against the wall before peering both ways along the other hallway.

“Looks like we’re clear,” he said. “And fortunately close to just where I wanted to go.” He turned to look at Noctis. “Think you’ll be able to manage a little climbing? Or more of that weird magic thing?” he asked.

“Yeah, just let me know what I’ve gotta do,” he said, wondering what the blond had up his sleeve.

Prompto nodded before dashing down the hallway and stopping at a small door almost hidden seamlessly into the wall. He hesitated for a moment before bringing his wrist up to the panel next to it, causing it to read off a serial number before the door slid open. He then waved the others over before stepping out onto a small platform that overlooked a vast open area in the space station that was between the main hallways. It was an immense empty space between large skyscraper like structures of the different sections of the space station. This was essentially unused space that was only used for outside maintenance. The others soon joined them and the door slid shut behind them.

Gladio was glaring at Prompto, who shrugged his shoulders. “Look, by the time they notice we’ll hopefully be back on the ship,” he said. “This is the fastest way to move without running into anyone. People never travel these spaces unless absolutely necessary since they’re so dangerous and it’s never monitored.”

“Notice what?” Noctis asked, although he had a feeling he knew.

“That a deactivated MT has been accessing doors to the ship,” Prompto replied. He then turned to 1GN1S.

“You’re probably not going to be able to manage on your own. Are you ok with Gladio carrying you?” he asked.

The droid looked a little offended at the question, but after reviewing it logically he nodded his head. The pilot was right – he wouldn’t be able to climb as easily as the humans or the Titan would. “We’re going to try to swing our way as much as possible but there will be some areas we have to climb. The hanger bay is going to be that way,” Prompto pointed, “and three blocks up.” They could see an area that looked much wider than the rest, and Noctis was impressed even between the main halls Prompto seemed to be able to find his way around. He had a strong sense of spatial awareness.

“Lead the way, Prom,” he said, and Prompto gave him a surprised look upon the use of his nickname. He didn’t say anything and instead pulled the MT blaster from where he had it strapped to his shoulder. He fiddled with the top of the gun, and Noctis realized it had a grappling piece on it. Prompto then glanced around before aiming for a nearby platform that was one story above them and within distance of the length of the steel cord on the gun. Gladio pulled 1GN1S onto his back before adjusting his own blaster. 

“Are you able to reach that with your sword trick?” Prompto asked, and Noctis gave him a confident grin before throwing it and streaming after it with a flash of blue light. He was then dangling from his sword above the platform moments later before dropping down, sword in hand. “Show off,” Prompto muttered, before he and Gladio followed. 

“You were saying?” Noctis asked while Prompto rolled his eyes. They still had quite a distance to go, but they were all starting to hold onto hope that they may actually be able to make it to the ship somehow.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cor encounters a man from his past he thought was dead and buys time for the others to get to the ship.

Cor was on his way back from disabling the tractor beam and had picked up on the sudden change in activity at the station. There were more groups of MTs rushing around with officers barking orders at them. ‘They must have been discovered,’ he realized, trying to listen closely to see if there was any mention of Noctis. As he moved unnoticed between the troops, listening closely as he went, he suddenly picked up on a familiar voice.

“The Chancellor wants the prince alive. The others you can dispose of,” a voice from Cor’s past coolly directed. Cor stopped in his tracks and swept his gray eyes around him, until he spotted the source of the voice. There was a tall man covered in ornate, heavy black armor speaking to a group of officers. They dispersed after receiving orders and the armored man began heading toward the hanger bay. The stance, the stride, and the way the man carried himself were all very familiar to Cor.

‘What is Drautos doing still alive?’ Cor wondered, eyes narrowing as he began to follow him, keeping a careful distance. While the officers and MTs may not be able to register his presence, Titus Drautos was a different caliber of man. He was the head of the Kingsglaive until recently; he had disappeared during a mission and was presumed dead. Seeing him alive and well in the Imperial space station was giving Cor an uneasy feeling. Truly, Drautos couldn’t have gone traitor?

“General Glauca!” a voice barked from behind Cor. Cor barely had enough time to move out of the way in order to dodge the captive prince of Tenebrae as he strode past him and directly toward the general. The armored man paused and turned to face him, his annoyance visible in the way he carried himself.

“What is it, High Commander,” he asked. He managed to keep his voice neutral, although there was an undercurrent of disdain hidden inside it.

“There are reports that a deactivated Magitek code was used to release the prince from his cell,” Ravus explained. “Research Chief Besithia is requesting the pilot be captured alive for research.” Glauca didn’t seem happy with the request, based on the way he shifted his stance and straightened his spine. However, he didn’t argue.

“I will adjust my orders to take him alive as well,” he replied. “Anything else?”

Ravus shook his head before turning to head back the way he came. As he walked by Cor, his eyes trailed over to him, almost as if he was able to sense his presence. He didn’t make any indication he had, however, and continued on his way, obviously undeterred by the annoyance radiating off of the general. Cor, meanwhile, couldn’t help but feel disheartened upon hearing the name given to his former comrade. Glauca was a well-known name to the rebellion, which meant Drautos had betrayed them for quite a long time. It’s possible with the completion of the _Zegnautus Keep_ he no longer felt the need to keep up appearances. Glauca had most infamously led the attack on the Titans, slaughtering their people including King Clarus who had been an ally to Lucis and the rebellion. The Titans that survived and were unable to escape had been enslaved; Cor had always assumed that Clarus’s son, Gladiolus, had either died or been enslaved and so had been surprised to see him with the reformed MT.

Both Cor and Glauca’s attention was suddenly caught by the sound of something metal hitting the floor. Most people didn’t pick it up in the commotion of the search, but Cor and Glauca both had sharp instincts honed over years of war and high-risk missions. Fortunately, Cor managed to spot the cause of the noise first. He spotted Prompto’s head poke out of an air vent next to the hanger bay; he was obviously nervously looking around to see if anyone had heard the vent fall below. They appeared to have been far enough away from anyone else for them to notice, and with Cor’s sharp eyes he saw the relief cross his face. Prompto ducked back inside, and the next head to poke out was none other than Noctis Lucis Caelum. Cor felt relief flood his system to see the prince alive, and his eyes immediately returned to Glauca who was still looking around. Cor’s spine straightened as he realized what he had to do. He couldn’t allow Glauca to spot Noctis and the others; they had to escape. So, Cor did the only thing he could think of. 

He drew his sword, and while he was unable to infuse it with the magic from the crystal with the King gone, it was still sharp and deadly in his hands. He then turned off the cloaking device, causing a shout of alarm that drew Glauca’s attention away from the earlier sound. “Hello, Drautos,” Cor greeted, expression sharp as the blade he held in his hands.

“Leonis,” Glauca coolly replied, drawing his own. “I should have expected you would also be here.”

Cor gripped his sword and silently waited for Glauca to make the first move. There was a reason Drautos had been the head of the Glaive – his prowess on the battlefield was on par with Cor’s own. This would be a difficult fight and Cor couldn’t help but wonder if it was finally time for his old moniker to be put to rest. Before he could ponder for too long, Glauca made his move, coming at Cor with a powerful stroke. He moved surprisingly fast in the heavy armor, but Cor had been expecting it and managed to parry the blow. All he could do now was hope that the others would board the ship without him.

Meanwhile, inside the air vent the other four were trying to figure out how to best get down without being seen so they could get to the ship. “How far can you do that warp jump thing?” Prompto asked Noctis, who had just stuck his head out to look at possible places he could jump to.

“Honestly, nowhere close to the ship,” he said. He had been amazed by how flashy it was, but had surprised Prompto even more by saying it suited him. Most people teased him over his ship, so Prompto couldn’t help but feel like the prince wasn’t too bad a guy. “And I honestly wouldn’t be able to carry any of you with me. I haven’t quite gotten the hang of that yet…” he confessed.

“Well, we still have our grappling hooks,” Prompto commented. “The main thing is getting down without being seen.”

Gladio peered out between them, and quickly assessed their options. “If we drop straight down we have cover from that ship. We would be able to duck and weave between some of the equipment between here and the ship and might be able to make it.”

“The probability of that would be quite low,” 1GN1S commented. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Do you have any better ideas?” Gladio grunted at him, and the droid quieted at that. “I didn’t think so.”

“Well, I say whatever we do, we go now,” Prompto cut in. He had been peering out again and observing their surroundings. “There appears to be some sort of disturbance that’s drawing away most of the crowd. This may be the only chance we get.”

They acted quickly, Noctis warping down behind the closest ship while Prompto and Gladio made their way down the grappling hook, Gladio carrying 1GN1s yet again. Once they got to the bottom, they began sneaking their way between equipment, crouching down in order to stay ducked behind it while carefully looking out for anyone that may be able to spot them. With the crowd thinned out, they weren’t encountering many and were making good time. That all changed when Noctis finally spotted the cause of the disturbance. He stopped what he was doing, freezing in horror as he watched Cor and Glauca exchange blows. “Cor!” Noctis shouted thoughtlessly, causing the other three to turn in panic.

Prompto quickly looked around and noticed a few officers and MTs looking for the source of the noise. He yanked Noctis down, but it was too late. “We spotted them!” one of the Imperial officers shouted, and Prompto felt his adrenaline spike as fear crawled up his chest.

“Shit,” he cursed as he tightly gripped Noctis’s arm.

“Let me go, we have to save Cor,” Noctis hissed. Prompto began to drag him back to where 1GN1S and Gladio were crouched down. That’s when Prompto noticed another problem. Gladio’s eyes were also trained on the fight, and they had become dark with fury.

“Glauca,” Gladiolus growled, and Prompto felt his heart sink.

“1GN1S, can you hold onto Noct?” Prompto asked, and 1GN1S nodded. Fortunately, he was made out of an incredibly strong metal alloy, and he soon had a firm grip on the prince who was unable to wrench free although he desperately tried. 

“Hey big guy,” Prompto said, turning his attention to Gladio. He heard the footsteps of MTs on their way to their location and did his best to keep his panic under control. He took a few deep breaths to steady his voice. “I know what’s probably going on in your head right now, but now is _not_ the time for revenge.”

Gladio didn’t appear to hear him, and Prompto bit his lip. He hesitantly reached out in order to place a hand on Gladio’s shoulder, knowing it probably wouldn’t end well for him, until they were interrupted by Cor’s orders. “Prompto, Gladiolus,” he shouted. To Prompto’s relief, somehow the command in Cor’s tone seemed to break through the rage that had formed in his friend. Gladio blinked his eyes, expression returning to normal. “Lead Noctis on his path in my place. I am counting on you!”

Prompto suddenly had a sinking feeling in his heart. “What do you mean?” he asked, almost to himself, and he felt Noctis stiffen next to him. Moments later Cor stood tall, holding his sword up in front of him with his guard down, allowing Glauca to run through him with his sword.

“Cor!” Noctis screamed, just as the MTs arrived.

“1GN1S, I need you to carry him and move as fast as you can,” Prompto directed, before immediately holding off a blow with an electric baton from the closest MT with his rifle. “Gladio, make us a path. I’ll follow behind you.”

“Like hell I’m leaving you behind,” Gladio argued, but hesitated when he saw the look in Prompto’s eyes. They were usually a blue violet but had changed, with the pupils growing smaller and the violet growing more prominent.

“Just listen to me,” Prompto said, suddenly appearing calm and collected. It was like his anxiety had vanished. Gladio felt a chill run up his spine – he had only seen Prompto get like this once before, and it had been terrifying to witness.

“Understood,” he said, before turning to face the MTs that blocked their path. A nasty grin formed on his face as he cracked his knuckles. “Think you can keep up, Iggy?” he asked, confusing the droid. It was the first time Gladio had called him by his nickname.

“I most certainly can,” 1GN1S replied. He had Noctis slung over his shoulder, who was in shock after witnessing the man who was like an uncle to him slain before his eyes. He kept staring back at the crumbled body of Cor, watching as Glauca kneeled down next to him to confirm he was dead. Cor would no longer be known as The Immortal.

Gladio took that as his cue. He rushed forward, swinging the rifle in order to bash the closest MTs and knock them out of the way before using it to open fire on the next few. Their return fire glanced off his tough skin as he raced at them, creating the path as promised as he bowled through the MTs. 1GN1S, true to his word, managed to keep up behind him. Noctis seemed to finally become more aware of what was going on around him, because he suddenly asked, “Wait, what about Prompto?” as he realized the blond wasn’t right behind him.

That’s when he spotted him and realized why. Prompto was slowly bringing up the rear, coldly taking out each MT as they approached, taking perfectly executed shots that managed to take them down in one hit. He looked like a different person as he moved, more calculating machine than the warm person Noctis had been getting to know over the past few hours. Noctis felt dread forming in the pit of his stomach; he didn’t like to see the pilot like this. “Prompto, hurry up!” he shouted, and his voice seemed to break Prompto out of the trance he was in.

Prompto turned to look at him, violet eyes blinking in confusion and slowly turning bluer again. “Come on!” Noctis said, waving him over. He saw fear creep into the pilot’s eyes as he started to remember the danger they were in. Noctis watched an MT come up behind Prompto, raising its gun on him in point blank range. Just as Noctis was shouting a warning in his head, the words not yet crossing his lips, Prompto reacted, suddenly ducking down and sweeping his leg around in order to knock the MT over. He then took off at a sprint, quickly catching up to the others and returning fire as they finally approached the ship.

“Glad you could join us,” Gladio said as they rushed aboard, slamming his hand on the console to close the ramp up to the ship. Prompto rushed past him and into the cockpit, quickly powering up the engines and preparing for takeoff. 

“I highly recommend everyone strapping in. I hope he managed to turn off the tractor beam or this is going to be a very short trip,” Prompto said, heart hammering in his chest.

“He did,” Noctis said, voice weary as he limped over to an available seat. He heavily sat down and buckled in as Gladio made his way down the hall to the laser canon in order to pick off some of the MTs firing at them.

1GN1S placed a comforting hand on Noctis’s arm as he also strapped himself in to the chair next to him. “The Marshall’s sacrifice will not be in vain,” he said resolutely, as Prompto lifted the ship off the ground and gunned it out of the hangar bay. Luckily, there were no pilots close enough to rush to their ships in order to pursue, although since the space station was probably unaware the tractor beam had been turned off that could have also been due to hubris. Once they were safely out of the hangar bay and back into the freedom of space, Prompto readied the hyper drive and prepared for the jump to hyper space. 

“May you rest in peace,” he said a soft prayer to Cor, feeling sorrow for the legend who had sacrificed so much for king and country. His final words rang in Prompto’s mind, although he wasn’t quite sure what he had meant by them or what path the prince was supposed to take. As much as he respected the man, he also didn’t know if it was something he wanted to do – whatever it was sounded incredibly dangerous and like it would force him to yet again cross paths with the Imperials. 

“I need the coordinates for wherever it is we need to go,” he said, fingers hovering over the navigational computer. 1GN1S’s voice rang out with the coordinates and Prompto swiftly punched them in before pulling down on the lever that powered up the engines for the jump, then flipping the switch to hyperspace and blasting them out of there. He leaned back in his seat, letting out a sigh of relief as the stars streaked around them. They were finally safe.

Noctis silently unstrapped himself from his seat and left the cabin, and Prompto tilted his head to watch him but let him go. He was sure the prince had a lot on his mind and needed time to himself to mourn. 1GN1S stood as if to follow, and Prompto shook his head. “Give him a little bit of time first,” he said softly. “That was a lot.”

1GN1S’s green eyes glowed for a moment as he studied his face, before the droid sighed, suddenly sounding very human, and sat back down. “Do you know what the Marshall meant by his final message?” the droid asked, and Prompto shook his head.

“No idea. Probably has something to do with that sword though…” he said. That seemed to jog something in the droid’s memory.

“Indeed,” he said, mostly to himself. “The sword is still on the ship?”

“Yeah, we kept it below deck where we were hiding,” Prompto replied. That’s when he suddenly remembered the MTs. “Shit, I hope they’re still not on board,” he stood up. He headed over to check below decks, and while he spotted the sword he realized that the MTs were no longer there. It appeared the Marshall had thought to remove them from the ship prior to leaving to disable the tractor beam. Prompto stared at the wrapped sword, before reaching over to pick it up. It felt heavy in his hands, like a burden he didn’t want to carry. ‘I guess it’s really for him to carry,’ he realized. Cor had seemed to indicate the sword was meant for Noctis, and Prompto had a sinking suspicion it was tied to whatever path he wanted Prompto and Gladio to lead him on. Prompto strapped the sword to his back before climbing back up and sliding the floor plate that hid the space below back in place.

“So, what are you going to do?” Gladio’s gruff voice greeted him as he turned, causing Prompto to jump in surprise.

“Shit, Gladio,” he wheezed as he bent over. “I don’t think my heart can take much more of this today…”

Gladio whacked him on the back a few times in what Prompto assumed he thought was a comforting manner, although it nearly knocked him down to the ground. “Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, although he had an annoying tinge of amusement in his tone that implied otherwise. “I would like a reply to my question, however.”

Prompto shook his head. “I…don’t know,” he said honestly, and Gladio raised an eyebrow.

“That’s better than I was expecting,” he replied. “I think the Rebellion’s growing on you.”

Prompto narrowed his eyes at him, and Gladio merely shrugged it off with a grin as he sauntered his way to his cabin to freshen up and rest after their ordeal. As he walked away, Prompto suddenly remembered Noctis’s words on the space station. ‘They know where his sister is,’ Prompto thought. ‘They can finally be reunited…’ As much as Prompto didn’t want to join the rebellion, still preferring to stay as far away as he could from the Nifs, especially since he was sure by now they realized who he was, he also felt guilty at the idea of keeping Gladio away from the only family he had left. ‘Dammit,’ he thought, the weight of the sword pressing into his back as he returned to the cabin to think. As exhausted as he was, he knew sleep would be escaping him for now. He had a lot to consider.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto gives Noctis the sword Cor had left for him, before they discuss Prompto's dilemma.

After a few hours of sitting in the cockpit, wracking his brain unsuccessfully over what course of action to take once they arrived at the rebel base, Prompto finally got up and made his way to the living quarters. He figured he may as well get himself something to eat and drink in order to regain his energy since he was unable to sleep. He was surprised to see both Noctis and Ignis sitting in the dimly lit room, since it was set to low power due to Prompto assuming everyone else was asleep. Upon further inspection, Ignis did appear to be charging up since his eyes were closed and he was sitting still, but while Noctis had his head laying on the table, Prompto could tell based on how he shifted when Prompto entered the room he was definitely awake.

“You haven’t slept?” Noctis dully asked him as Prompto pushed a button that slid open a panel revealing the food he had stored on the ship. They were all perfectly climate controlled so they would be able to last him between planets.

“Had a lot on my mind,” he said, pulling out a snack. “Do you like cantina mix?” he asked, holding up the bag in question. Noctis looked at it for a long moment before slowly nodded his head. Prompto grabbed them each a beer as well before he slid the panel back closed and headed over to sit across from Noctis. He placed a drink in front of the prince before opening the bag and grabbing a handful to snack on. Noctis took a sip of beer, making a face at the taste since it wasn’t exactly of the highest quality, before also grabbing a handful. They sat in silence for several long moments, each of them lost in thought as they sipped at their drinks and nibbled on their snacks, before Noctis finally broke the silence.

“What’s that?” he asked, eyeing the sword that Prompto had set down next to him. Prompto hesitated, not sure if he wanted to bring up this particular topic to the grieving prince quite yet. Noctis noticed his hesitation and crossed his arms.

“You can tell me. This has to do with what Cor said toward the end, right?” he asked. Noctis’s eyes were rimmed with red, but it appeared he had no more tears left to give at this point because he managed to stay calm, if not resigned.

“I think so. Honestly, I’m not quite sure what he meant by all of that. He wasn’t exactly open during the short time that I knew him,” Prompto said, before reaching over and picking up the sword. “I do think this is meant for you though.” He set the sword on the table and began untying the cloth Cor had wrapped around it for protection. Once he revealed the sword, they both stared at it in awe. The sword’s craftmanship looked very old, yet somehow the blade appeared as sharp as the one Noctis kept in his armiger, if not sharper. Noctis peered closer at it and realized that it had an older version of his family’s crest on it.

“This looks like it belongs in my family,” he said softly, before reaching out to touch it. The moment his fingers made contact, the sword suddenly lit up with a brilliant blue light before raising in the air, causing Prompto to yelp and leap out of the chair to get away. Noctis, meanwhile, stood as if mesmerized, and before either of them could react the sword flew up in the air, arcing around Noctis one time before impaling him through the chest and dispersing with another bright flash of blue light.

“Noct!” Prompto gasped in horror, finally seeming to wake 1GN1S who powered on with a start.

“What’s wrong with Noct?” he asked, standing up and moving to unplug himself from the wall.

“Nothing’s wrong Iggy, I’m fine,” Noctis replied, although he did look a bit shaken. 1GN1S hesitated, until Noctis gave him a small reassuring smile. “Seriously, you can power back down. You’re going to need it tomorrow.”

1GN1S looked between them for a long moment before slowly sitting back down and sliding his eyes shut again. Prompto, meanwhile, also slowly sat back down in his seat while staring at Noctis with wide eyes. “Are you sure you’re ok?” he asked, and Noctis let out a small nod before also sitting down.

“I think so at least. All it did was join my armiger, even though it did so in an entirely unnecessary way,” he said. He unconsciously was resting his hand on his chest, still looking unnerved by what had happened. “I thought I felt something, like someone was trying to tell me something,” he said. “I think it may have belonged to one of my ancestors.”

“That’s kind of cool…in a creepy way,” Prompto replied, causing Noctis to let out a small laugh.

“I guess.” He then studied Prompto for a moment before asking, “What’s been on your mind that’s keeping you awake?”

Prompto rubbed his bleary eyes for a moment, wondering if he really wanted to have this conversation with a practical stranger. Especially when he was the one that had caused the dilemma in the first place. However, at this point he felt like he did need to talk it through with someone, and he would feel guilty doing so with Gladiolus who had always been careful to try to allow him to make his own decisions without influencing them, when he knew what Gladiolus would want him to choose. “I was thinking about what you said on the space station,” he admitted.

It took Noctis a moment to realize what he was referring to. “Oh…OH,” he said. “So, you’ve decided to come around and join the cause?” His eyes, although drained and tired after his ordeal, took on a slight glimmer of hope.

“Not exactly,” Prompto replied. Noctis’s eyes dimmed, but he continued to listen while carefully watching. “Honestly my gut reaction is still the same. I want to stay as far away from Niflheim as I possibly can, and you all have a completely opposite agenda to that,” he explained. “Also, I’m probably not going to exactly receive a warm reception when we get there once people start to catch on to what…who I am,” Prompto said, hand playing with the leather bracelet he kept on his wrist that covered the barcode. “People tend not to trust me once they find out.”

“You saved my life and in getting us out of there you’ve saved the rebellion,” Noctis spoke up. “You probably don’t realize it yet but we’ve got some vital information that we’re bringing back with us that should save us all. If anyone has a problem with you, then they’ll just have to get over it. I won’t stand for it.”

Prompto was surprised by his vehement response, and he couldn’t help but blink speechlessly for a moment. “Well, that’s nice to hear, but in reality some people’s minds aren’t going to change,” Prompto said with a shrug.

“It sounds to me like your mind is pretty well set,” Noctis replied. “So, what’s the problem?”

Prompto let out a long sigh. “Gladio,” he said softly. “You said you know where his sister is. He deserves to be reunited with his family. And I know how much he wants to join the rebellion and get revenge for his people.” Prompto bit his lip. “I’m just…so scared. And I know I’m being selfish even considering this. I should do what’s best for him, right?” Prompto looked down, hands folded on the table, and Noctis noted the tension in his shoulders and the way he pressed his lips together in disdain at himself.

“What would happen…if the Empire got hold of you,” Noctis asked slowly, and Prompto blanched.

“I would rather die than go through that torture,” he said bluntly. “They would do test after test and try to turn me into one of them.” Noctis remembered Prompto’s violet eyes and how robotically he had moved, and he couldn’t help but let out a shudder.

“I can’t blame you for wanting to avoid that, even if at the same time you know it’s counter to Gladio’s wishes,” Noctis slowly replied. “I don’t think you’re just being selfish. I do think, though, the fact you’re struggling to make a decision shows what’s in your heart.” He looked Prompto in the eyes, whose brows furrowed together and lifted in surprise. “I think you know deep down what you want to choose, and I think that’s because you really are selfless.”

He vaguely remembered through his grief earlier how Prompto had put everyone else’s safety first, slipping into whatever that other side of him was in order to bring up the rear. He also understood now why Gladio had been upset when Prompto had used his barcode to unlock the doors – each time Prompto was putting himself at risk for the sake of his friend and total strangers. He could already tell what Prompto was probably going to end up choosing, even if it put himself in harm’s way. And now, unlike before when he had first made the suggestion, Noctis understood the full magnitude of Prompto’s choice. “Whatever you decide…I think it should be what is best for you. Whether it’s protecting yourself or clearing your conscience. I think that’s why Gladio’s also leaving it up to you. I can tell he respects you and, trust me, it’s hard to gain any Titan’s trust, let alone that stubborn guy.”

Prompto let out a small laugh at that. “You don’t say,” he joked, and Noctis reached over to punch Prompto’s arm.

“You should probably get some sleep. I dozed off earlier so I’ll be up for awhile. I’ll wake you and Gladio up if anything comes up.”

Prompto let out a yawn, and was surprised by the fact he really did finally feel tired. Apparently getting his thoughts off his chest had helped after all. “Thanks for hearing me out. If…if you need to talk about anything…just let me know.”

Grief briefly crossed Noctis’s face again, and he solemnly nodded before waving Prompt off. Prompto headed to his sleeping quarters, sliding open the door before collapsing on his bed, passing out before his head even hit the pillow.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto and the others finally arrive at the Kingsglaive's rebel base with the plans. They have an unpleasant surprise in store once they arrive.

Hours later, Prompto was woken up by a loud beeping sound in his cabin that indicated they were about to arrive at their destination. He blearily rubbed his eyes and sat up before getting out of bed and heading to the cabin. He found Gladio already at the co-pilot’s seat adjusting some of their controls to prepare for the jump out of hyperspace, while Noctis and 1GN1S were both sitting behind him, obviously eager to arrive. “Get some sleep?” Noctis greeted him, and Prompto nodded before sliding into his chair and flipping a few switches. He read the coordinates on the navigational computer and turned off auto-pilot. He and Gladio would be taking it from there.

“Time to see where you’ve taken us,” Prompto commented. He hadn’t recognized the coordinates that 1GN1S had provided him for the trip since it was a part of space he was unfamiliar with. He watched the coordinates as they narrowed in on their destination, internally counting down the seconds until it was time. He pulled the lever, switching off the hyperdrive and bringing them back out of hyperspace, causing the stars to no longer stream around them as they returned to normal space. They had hit at the right time and were now orbiting around one of several moons that circled around a giant sun called Galahd. One of the moons was inhabitable and had its own atmosphere and ecosystem – it was simply known as Galahd 4. It wasn’t surprising the Kingsglaive had used such an unknown location as its base of operations. 1GN1S reached over to the console to input the hail sign in order to let the Glaive know who they were, and soon a line of communication was open.

“We do not recognize this ship. Can you identify yourselves?” a voice cackled over the comm system.

“This is 1GN1S, Lord Chamberlain Droid for His Royal Highness Noctis Lucis Caelum who is also on board,” the droid spoke up. Noctis rolled his eyes at the formalities but did not interject. “Also with us are pilot Prompto Argentum who is the captain of this ship and His Royal Highness Gladiolus Amicitia.” There was silence on the other line for a moment over the news, and Prompto glanced over at Gladio who grimaced at the full title of his name. It sounded weird hearing Gladio being referred to as a prince, although Prompto supposed that was his true identity. He would always be Gladio to him though.

“I am so glad you are all safe!” a new voice spoke up. This voice sounded feminine and had a very proper accent, and Noctis looked visibly relaxed upon hearing it. “You are all cleared for landing. I cannot wait to see you!”

The comm crackled and then the connection fell silent. 1GN1S gave Prompto the landing coordinates and he popped them into the navigational computer while glancing over at Noctis. “Who was that?” he asked.

“Lady Lunafreya,” Noctis replied, and Prompto’s eyebrows rose.

“She really did join the Kingsglaive,” Prompto said in awe. Lady Lunafreya was the former princess of Tenebrae and had gone missing shortly before the planet was taken over by Niflheim. She was also the Oracle to the Astrals and had the ability to communicate with them. She was a highly important figure to the galaxy, and her disappearance was a heavily publicized piece of news. There had been rumors that she had joined the Rebellion, and it appeared those rumors were correct. “Wasn’t she your betrothed at one point?” Prompt asked, and Noctis let out a deep sigh.

“Even if she was, it’s not like it matters anymore. I no longer have a planet and for all intents and purposes she doesn’t either,” Noctis replied bitterly.

Prompto winced. “I’m sorry, I…” he started to reply, and Gladio put a hand on his shoulder before shaking his head. Prompto fell silent and focused on landing. After a few moments of awkward silence, Noctis let out a sigh.

“Neither of us wanted the engagement,” he explained. “Honestly, it’s kind of a relief. And it was only supposed to be a political marriage to hold off Niflheim – it was doomed to fail anyway.”

Prompto couldn’t imagine what it was like for Noctis, Gladiolus, and Lunafreya and all that they had lost. In Prompto’s case, he had been born without a family, just one of hundreds of thousands of clones made as canon fodder for the Empire. He had no idea what it was like to lose one’s family, one’s friends, and to have a whole planet either occupied or destroyed like they had. The only one he ever had to worry about was himself until he befriended Gladio and helped free him from his enslavement as they escaped the Empire together. Prompto bit his lip as he landed. No wonder the others all wanted to fight. It was the only option they really had left that made sense.

Once Prompto let down the hatch which became the ramp down to the ground, he noticed that there were a few people to greet them as a small landing party. One he definitely recognized as Lady Lunafreya, while another had dark hair and eyes similar to Gladio that he could only figure was his sister Iris. Her eyes lit up the moment Gladio stepped into view. “Gladdy!” she shouted, running up the ramp and leaping into his arms. Gladio grinned and swung her around before ruffling her hair. “I’m so glad you’re ok!” she said, throwing her arms around his shoulder as he carried her down. She was much smaller than her towering Titan brother – their mother had been a Lucian and it looked like Iris had inherited her mother’s height.

“Me too,” Gladio said, his gruff voice more tender than Prompto had ever heard before. Noctis and 1GN1S were also walking down after him, obviously excited to be back with their friends by how quickly they made their way down.

“Noctis,” Lunafreya greeted, before pulling him into a hug. Noctis gripped her tightly.

“Luna,” he said, voice heavy, and she gently rubbed his back for a few moments before reluctantly stepping back and giving him a firm look. 

“Unfortunately I have bad news,” she said. “While I wish to catch up, we do not have much time. The Empire followed you here and is currently orbiting on the other side of Galahd. We are in grave danger – we have only a few hours until they circle around the sun and are within firing range.”

Noctis cursed, while Prompto felt his blood freeze upon hearing the news. They had led the Empire to the base? He should have thought to look for a tracking beacon on the ship. Guilt gnawed at him, especially as he began to notice the curious stares trained on him from some of the passersby. Just as he feared, some seemed to recognized his face and were giving him wary looks. He was sure the fact his ship had led the Empire here would also make him an unwelcome guest. His eyes trained back on Gladio who had finally set down his sister who was grabbing tightly to his arm. They looked so happy to see each other again, and Prompto felt his mind wheeling. Knowing that the Empire was here and what they had planned in store for the small moon made him want to flee, but at the same time… He looked around at all the people milling about, and imagined what the Empire had done to them all. What the Empire would do to _him_ if he fell within their clutches. Even with the wary looks he was receiving, he felt the sudden urge to help them.

“Prom, you coming or what?” Gladio called, and Prompto blinked, realizing the others were heading away from the landing field and toward a large, open hanger that lead into the base. 1GN1S was complaining about the dust and sewage in his joints, and stated that he looked forward to getting cleaned up once he had provided the _Zegnatus Keep_ plans during the brief they were heading to.

“I…” Prompto hesitated.

“You should come. You and Gladio saved me and safely brought the plans to the Rebellion. You could provide some valuable insight due to your past history as well. We need to get you the rest of your reward too,” Noctis pointed out. Prompto flushed, noticing more eyes on him as people stopped to listen to their conversation, and he forced himself forward although part of him wanted to hide on his ship.

“Ok,” he said, trailing along behind the main party and watching as they all caught up and looked happy to see one another. He couldn’t help but feel left out, especially without Gladio by his side, something he had grown used to over the past year. He couldn’t help but feel the growing distance, and wondered what would become of them if they all happened to survive this. There was no way Gladio would continue to travel with him, not with his sister tied to the rebellion. This had been his goal all along, besides. And Prompto… He still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.

Soon they arrived at the center of the rebel operations, a large space in the middle of a room filled with people bustling about as they monitored the incoming threat from the various equipment scattered through the dusty space. There were individuals representing all different races that had been either targeted or otherwise oppressed by the Imperials, all working together with the one goal to stop them in their conquest. For the most part, they were too busy rushing around to look at Prompto for too long, and he appreciated the momentary anonymity. There were other leaders of the rebellion already gathered around the center console along with a group of fighter pilots, and 1GN1S soon pulled out the data chip he had been holding onto before placing it into the console. A hologram blueprint to the space station popped up in the middle of the console, and 1GN1S adjusted it so they could see the particular part of the plan that was meaningful to them – the flaw.

“There really is a flaw,” one of the pilots said in awe, and the room grew silent.

“Yes, there is,” Lunafreya spoke up. “Which means this is our chance to wipe out this weapon once and for all.” She had a steely gaze, unexpected in someone dressed so formally in a custom white dress with her hair done in the traditional braided style of the Tenebraean Royal Family. “That is not to say this will not be difficult. The surface to _Zegnatus Keep_ is going to be heavily defended with cannons and ships to hold us off. We will have to get past them in order to make the shot into the exhaust pipe. It is going to be an extraordinarily difficult feat to pull off since it is a very narrow opening, but the future of the rebellion and the freedom of the galaxy depends on it.”

“The opening is 2 meters?” one of the pilots said after leaning forward and focusing on the dimensions listed on the hologram. He leaned back, arms across his chest as he considered the task ahead. Prompto thought he looked a bit familiar, with his slicked back hair that fell into braids down his upper back, and he turned to 1GN1S who had stepped back next to him and Gladio once he had finished setting up the hologram. 

“Who is that?” he whispered.

“Ah, that is Captain Ulric. Nyx Ulric is our best fighter pilot and the head of one of the fighter squadrons,” 1GN1S explained. Prompto recognized the name – Nyx had a reputation with his skill as a pilot and in hand to hand combat. Prompto remembered seeing his bounty back when he was still an MT before he had defected.

Meanwhile, Lady Lunafreya had confirmed his statement. “It is. Do you not think you could manage such a shot?” she asked.

Nyx brought his hand up to his chin. “We’re going to have to. It’s not like we really have a choice. I think I could make that shot but I’m not sure how many of us could.” His words were honest and not arrogant, in spite of his confident claim. Based on his reputation, Prompto had no doubt he could probably pull it off.

“I’ll be going too,” Noctis suddenly spoke up, causing everyone to turn and look at him.

“Your highness,” 1GN1S interjected, and Noctis shook his head.

“At this point, what do I have to lose? Besides, I still have my connection to the Crystal somehow. That’ll give me an edge up there. We need all the help we can get.” He was looking at Prompto as he spoke, who felt his heart rate increase. Especially as others turned to look at him as well, in-between whispering to each other over the news the Crystal’s power was still working. That meant that it was still out there somewhere and hadn’t been destroyed with Lucis.

“Captain Argentum. What do you think of our chances?” Lady Lunafreya asked, obviously wanting to weigh different opinions before they jumped all in. Prompto had all eyes on him now, and he wrung his hands nervously.

“If I’m going to be honest…they seem pretty slim,” he said. “I’m sure Iggy here could give you an exact number.” He cracked a small smile, needing the lame joke to help settle his nerves. A few others also let out a chuckle while 1GN1S didn’t seem to approve of the joke at his expense. “Is the fleet I saw out there the only fighters you have?” he asked, pointing back outside the hangar bay.

“Yes,” Lady Lunafreya replied, while Nyx and the other pilots stared him down.

Prompto looked back and his heart sank. That was a mighty small force to go against the number of tie fighters that would be deployed by the space station. However… “The small size may give you a slight advantage,” Prompto admitted. “That is if you stick to the trenches.” He pointed to a series of trenches on the space station that led to the exhaust port. “That way you’re only going to have to worry about the cannon fire on either side of the trench and you limit the number of fighters you have to deal with. It’ll be dangerous – it’s going to be a tight fit and you’ll need someone focusing on the towers while others focus on the fighters…but it’s the best chance you’ve got.”

The pilots all leaned forward to see what he was talking about before they huddled around, quietly discussing it. Nyx then spoke for the group. “I think it can be done,” he confirmed, and Lady Lunafreya gravely nodded her head. While it could be done, everyone in the room knew that it was highly risky and more than likely some of their pilots would not be returning if they even managed to pull it off. 

“Thank you Captain,” she replied, before turning to look at Prompto. “And you as well. What are your plans?” she asked. All eyes were on Prompto again, and he felt especially conscious of the intense gaze of both of the princes in the room. 

“My ship is too large to fit in the trenches. I would be able to draw off some of the fighter pilots though,” he said slowly, and he saw the relieved smiles on both Gladio and Noctis’s faces. He had finally made his decision to stand and fight. Lady Lunafreya and the fighter pilots also looked happy to have another ally joining them.

While the others continued to plan, Prompto took a moment to slip away, needing to get a breath of fresh air after having all of that attention placed on him. To his surprise, Gladio also peeled away from the crowd, even leaving his sister behind after whispering something in her ear. “I’m proud of you,” he said, clapping Prompto on the shoulder as they both headed out of the cool hangar and back into the hot, humid air of the landing field.

“I couldn’t just leave you all behind,” Prompto said with a shrug. “Especially you. I knew you wouldn’t leave this.”

“Damn right I wouldn’t,” Gladio replied. “Although I never doubted that you wouldn’t either.”

Prompto kicked his shoe in the dirt at the comment, touched that Gladio seemed to have such unwavering confidence in him when he certainly didn’t in himself. He suddenly remembered Noctis’s words that he thought Prompto had already made up his mind. He was brought out of his thoughts when they approached _Quicksilver_ and he realized there was someone _on his ship_. “Hey!” he shouted, rushing forward with a spark of anger. “What are you doing?” Prompto usually didn’t get riled up – he had Gladio for that – but the one thing he did get defensive about was anyone else touching his ship. He would trust very few to work on it – he had made so many modifications that most people were liable to screw it up.

“I was just inspectin’ her to make sure she’d be ready to fly. I was asked to by Noct. He wanted to make sure y’all wouldn’t have any trouble leavin’,” the young woman said, before turning around to face them. She had curly blonde hair and green eyes and flashed them a bright and confident smile. She was dressed in a jumpsuit and looked like a mechanic, although she had unzipped the top and was showing off her tight fitting undershirt and midriff due to the heat. “The name’s Cindy,” she introduced herself before offering her hand.

Prompto shook it, broken out of his anger by her confidence, while Gladio put his hands behind his head and looked amused. “I can repair her myself,” Prompto blurted out, blushing when Cindy laughed.

“I can tell. You’ve been doin’ a good job – most pilots can’t really maintain their ships. But yer lovely gal has certainly been well taken care of,” Cindy said. “She’s a beauty – yer fortunate to have her.”

Prompto blushed even more over the praise, and he couldn’t help but feel happy to finally meet someone who appreciated his ship like he did. “I’m sorry. I’m just used to other people not being used to my ship, so I got a little defensive. I’m Prompto and the big guy is Gladio.”

“Iris’s brother, right?” Cindy asked, and Gladio nodded. “She’s sure happy to see you again,” Cindy said. “I found that trackin' device and removed it for you so that won’t be a problem again. She seems to be doing pretty well for the most part – I repaired a few minor damages on the outside from blaster fire but overall she seems to be runnin’ well!”

“That’s good to hear,” Prompto said sincerely, before placing a hand on his ship and looking at it. He had stolen it from the Imperials – it was a personal ship of one of the officers who had always boasted over how fast it was. Fortunately for Gladio and Prompto, his boasts had actually been accurate. The ship was aptly named and had gotten both of them out of many scraps. Prompto just hoped their luck would continue in a few short hours.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both the Kingsglaive and Zagnautus Keep prepare to face off as the space station approaches the rebel base.

As Noctis shed his royal uniform, tossing it onto the floor in a crumpled heap since it was completely ruined, he felt a wave of exhaustion roll over him. He hadn’t slept well in days, and his mind kept tormenting him with all the horrible things he had witnessed during that time period. Between witnessing his crew’s slaughter, his planet’s demise, and the death of someone who was as close to him as family, Noctis was having a tough time. And every time he tried to get a moment’s rest, he remembered the last time he had spoken to his father and guilt would gnaw at him, keeping him wide awake. The day he had left Lucis to meet with Chancellor Izunia, he had thrown a fit. He hadn’t wanted to go, since he knew it was a waste of time and hated having to interact with that awful man. 

His father had insisted, and Noctis realized now he probably had an inkling about the secret mission to recover the plans to _Zegnautus Keep_ that not even Noctis had been aware of until he had received a transmission shortly after his meeting. He didn’t know if his father had wanted him there to retrieve the plans or if he had an inkling about the fate of Lucis, but either way Regis had definitely sent him away on purpose and had saved his life in the process. And Noctis had acted like a brat and left in a huff, shouting sarcastic barbs at his father, pulling away after he had told him, “Walk tall, my son.” It had seemed strange, the way his father had insisted on leaving him passing advice, and it had unsettled Noctis who had been annoyed, acting like his father was coddling him, when deep inside he had known something was off. And now he could never tell his father again how much he loved him and how he had looked up to him and missed him every time he had to leave on a diplomatic mission.

Nocis felt a hot tear roll down his face and he wiped at his eyes angrily before making his way to the bathroom in order to shower off. Once he had assaulted his body with the steaming hot water and scrubbed himself down, he changed into a black flight suit and grabbed his helmet. He wasn’t sure what he would be flying at this point, but figured they would have some ship available for him to use. He was an experienced pilot and could fly any ship in his family’s fleet as part of his martial training growing up. When your planet was in a cold war, there were certain things deemed necessary for the future king to know. Noctis made his way out to the bustling hangar bay, and he used his comlink to call for 1GN1S who would have been the one to secure the ship. The droid let him know where to meet up, and Noctis made his way out onto the landing field where members of the Glaive were getting their final briefings before they would be making what would possibly be their last stand. When he finally spotted the droid, he also spotted something else that made his heart twist painfully in his chest. It was his father’s personal fighter ship – the Regalia. 

“Noct,” 1GN1S waved him over, and Noctis who had been rooted to the ground for a moment was finally able to move forward.

“How?” he asked.

“Captain Ulric had been on Lucis shortly before the attack from Niflheim. The king had him fly the Regalia when he was sent back to Galahd 4,” 1GN1S explained. Noctis reached forward with one hand and pressed it on the side of the ship, feeling somehow more at peace than he had moments ago. Flying the Regalia would be like having a piece of his father there with him. He wondered if that was also something Regis had planned, and for a moment Noctis felt as if he was hearing his father tell him, “The line of Lucis goes with you.”

“You are to join Captain Ulric’s red squadron,” 1GN1S began briefing. “I will be in direct communication with you from the war room. Your mission will be to aid in getting a torpedo through the exhaust vent to set off the core detonation to the space station.”

“Do you know what Prompto and Gladio will be doing?” Noctis asked.

“Drawing away fighters and providing general aid where needed. The shields on his ship should hold against general blaster fire but they will be vulnerable to the cannons,” the droid replied. 

Noctis was a little worried about them, knowing that they would have to deal with more fighters since they were acting as decoys from the main mission. The Empire wasn’t aware of the exact location of the flaw in the plans so it wasn’t like they knew exactly what the Kingsglaive were up to. “For hearth and home,” Noctis said, using the Kingsglaive creed before putting on his helmet. He climbed into his father’s ship, the controls all familiar to him since he had learned to fly in it during his training. He felt his nerves calm as he readied himself, and he reached out to the Crystal for support. Through it he was able to feel the lives of all of the Glaives around him, and it helped him feel hope for what they were about to face. The Glaive were the best pilots in the Galaxy, and since they knew what they needed to do in order to destroy _Zegnautus Keep_ , they definitely stood a chance.

“How much longer until we’re in range?” Brigadier General Caligo asked from where he stood on the bridge overlooking the giant sun of Galahd. They had exited hyperspace on the wrong side of the sun and were having to orbit around until they were in close enough range to attack the small moon the Kingsglaive were using as their base of operations. The tracking beacon snuck aboard the _Quicksilver_ had done the trick. He had recognized the ship the moment it had been captured by the tractor beam, since it had belonged to a young Brigadier General named Loqi Tummelt who had been quite proud of the ship until it had been stolen when the MT had defected with the Titan prince. He had not been surprised to find out the MT in question had been sneaking around on board, although he had been annoyed he had escaped detection on the space station up until the encounter with Drautos. They had of course at that point allowed them to escape, knowing that they would bring them directly to the rebels.

“20 minutes, sir,” the navigator replied.

Caligo felt anticipation rise as he continued to stare at the sun. Once he destroyed the rebel base, he would be hailed as a hero and gain prominence to the crown. Maybe he’d finally replace that smug bastard of a Chancellor. Next to him, Drautos was also silently watching their revolution around the sun, although he had a furrow his brow instead of his normal impassive expression. “What is it?” Caligo asked.

“I wonder if they found anything in those plans they stole,” Drautos replied.

“I highly doubt it. There’s not anything those rebels can do to take down this ship now that its fully operational,” Caligo boasted. “You just do your job leading your pilots on the counter attack. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Drautos looked annoyed by his dismissive remarks but didn’t say anything. Instead he lightly bowed his head before making his way off the bridge, pulling his helmet over his head as he went. Caligo noted that the captive Prince of Tenebrae had overheard their exchange and he suddenly remembered his annoyance earlier when he had questioned his orders back at Lucis. “You should join him,” Caligo sneered.

“Probably for the best,” Ravus replied cooly before also taking his leave. The remark was a little unsettling, and Caligo took pause for a moment, wondering if Ravus knew something he didn’t. He then shook his head. No matter, they would destroy the Kingsglaive before they had a chance to try anything.

“Fighter ships are approaching from the rebel base,” one of officers called from the bridge, and Caligo returned his attention to the situation at hand. It was time to show what _Zagnautus Keep_ could do. “Prepare the cannons and ready the fighters,” he called. The show was about to begin.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis races toward the trench to assist Nyx with getting the necessary shot to blow up the space station while Prompto tries to draw Imperial fighters away from the three squadrons.

Lady Lunafreya stared at the radar, watching as the Kingsglaive’s small fleet of fighters made their way off the planet and sped toward _Zanautus Keep_. 1GN1S was stationed next to her, and she could tell that the droid’s eyes trailed toward one dot in particular with the Regalia’s name emblazoned over it. Lunafreya said a small prayer to the Astrals, and hardened herself to the realization that some of their brave pilots would not be making it back that day. However, she also held firm to the belief that they would survive this encounter and be able to continue their Rebellion. 

For a moment, her mind trailed to the conversation she had with Noctis right after they had finalized their strategy during the council meeting. He had told her what had happened after he had recovered the plans, how her brother had also been there to see Lucis’s destruction, and how he had tried to deter Niflheim from going through with it. Lunafreya’s hand reached up to grip the necklace her mother had given her, the only thing she had been able to bring with her from her escape from Tenebrae when her mother had been killed and their small, peaceful planet conquered. She could not help but feel worry for her brother, but she knew he was well aware of their plans and would find a way off the space station. He had been the one to help design the flaw in the space station and the one to send word to her to go looking for the plans after all. 

Lunafreya closed her eyes for a brief moment before reopening them, her will hard as a diamond as she reached for the comlink in order to hail each fighter squadron leader as they made their approach. “Ready for final approach?” she asked, receiving an affirmative from each squadron leader in term. “May the Astrals guide you on your way.”

As the cluster of dots began to break away into each group, Lunafreya couldn’t help but let out a wry grin as Captain Ulric shouted, “For hearth and home!” in reply. He was a talented pilot, if a bit reckless, and they would be relying on his talents a lot that day. A cheer spread out across the war room as those still at the base hunkered down for the fight ahead.

“Be safe, Noct,” 1GN1S said quietly next to her, and Lunafreya reached over to place a reassuring hand on the droid’s shoulders. 

“Noctis still has his destiny to fulfill. He will not falter here,” she promised him, before returning her attention to the screen. They had not a chance to discuss Noctis’s destiny, but as the Oracle she knew all of the details and would have the unfortunate burden of sharing them with her childhood friend. Lunafreya did not look forward to it, but it was her duty and she would carry it out as needed. For now, however, she had more pressing matters to attend to; ensuring the Rebellion survived another day.

Out in space, Noctis felt an adrenaline rush as they grew closer to the looming space station as it made its way around the massive sun Galahd. He realized for a moment what it must have been like for the people of Lucis to suddenly have a moon pop into the sky where there had not been one prior, and the surreal terror it must have caused as people began to realize what it was. Rumors of Niflheim creating a super weapon had abounded for the past several years, although people had hoped nothing would come of it. Unfortunately, Noctis had seen first hand exactly what it was capable of. 

Noctis shook his head before briefly changing the channel on his comlink in order to hail a very specific ship. “You ready for this, Prom?” he asked. He could see the silvery ship, standing out amongst the rest as it reflected the light of the sun, off on the far right. Prompto and Gladio would be on their own, using the flashy ship to draw off some of the fighters as he went after the large guns and Noctis couldn’t help but feel worried. Prompto’s ship stood out, and he wouldn’t have a squadron of fighters to protect him.

“I’ve never had a prince worried about me before,” Prompto replied cheekily, and for some reason his joking demeanor put Noctis at ease. They hadn’t spoken after the briefing – Prompto had disappeared with Gladio which had disappointed Noctis a little bit, so he was pleasantly surprised to see Prompto had gone through with deciding to join them in the fight.

“I feel left out,” Gladio grunted. Before Noctis could open his mouth to say he was worried about Gladio too, the Titan continued, “Here you’ve had a prince worrying about you for over a year.”

Prompto snorted in reply, and Noctis couldn’t help but smile. Those two had been looking out for each other for quite awhile and Noctis knew that his new friend would be in good hands with Gladio even if the two of them didn’t always get along. “I’m not surprised he can’t see you as a prince,” Noctis joked.

“Better than being seen as a princess,” Gladio replied, and Noctis couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“You be careful out there Noct. We’ll be keeping an eye on you,” Prompto added. Noctis then received a beep, indicating he was being hailed on another channel.

“It looks like we’re about to start. Good luck!” he said, before switching back to his main frequency.

“Red Leader to Red 15,” Captain Ulric called out.

“Red 15 copy,” Noctis replied.

“We’re making our final approach. We’re going to focus on the third trench from the briefing. I will go in for the shot and will need you to flank me.”

“Copy Red Leader,” Noctis said, before the comlink turned quiet again. Noctis watched as squadrons of enemy ships began to stream out of the space station and he took a long, steadying breath, before banking and following Nyx and the rest of the red squadron toward the space station which had a steady stream of fighter pilots dispatching in order to meet them. There was a moment of eerie silence as both sets of fighters raced toward each other and then the first barrage of fire began, breaking the calm and thrusting them into chaos. Prompto’s silvery ship disappeared from sight as Noctis trailed after Captain Ulric’s ship, an X-Wing with black paint and purple accents that matched his flight suit. Noctis, using his enhanced senses from the Crystal, was able to keep up with the Captain’s impressive sharp turns and dizzying dives as he dodged enemy fire and returned it himself, quickly taking out one of the Imperial fighters. 

Noctis, meanwhile, provided support to Nyx, along with Pelna Khara, a stalwart pilot who was incredibly loyal to his captain and the cause. Noctis tried his best to focus on this mission at hand without thinking about the fates of all his comrades currently risking their life as the battle buzzed all around them. Each fireball as a ship exploded could be someone he knew, and Noctis forced himself to keep his mind off of it. “Red 15, we’re going in. You and Red 14 will focus on any fighters that tail us while I focus on the towers,” Captain Ulric stated over the loudspeaker. They had finally come upon the trench.

“Red 15, copy,” Noctis replied. He, Nyx, and Pelna dove their way down to the trench, which provided some protection since it limited the number of enemy ships that could attack but also had dangerous canons lining them that they would have to look out for. Noctis tightly gripped the controls as he thought of his father’s last words to him. ‘Walk tall, my son.’ 

“Just watch, Dad,” he said to himself as he raced down the trench.

Prompto, meanwhile, was a whirlwind of activity as he raced around with Imperial fighters trailing behind him. He could see that each squadron was starting to make their approach to their separate trenches, and he knew it was up to him to draw away as many of the fighters as possible to make their lives easier. Fortunately, it seemed many of them recognized his ship and were more than happy to chase after him. “How’s it going down there?” Prompto shouted to Gladio, who was down in the gunner section of the ship picking off fighters as Prompto maneuvered. Fortunately, their shield was strong enough to withstand most of the blasts from the fighters, but they wouldn’t be able to do much about canon fire. Prompto was doing his best to avoid the towers, although if they strayed too close they would pick off one here and there as they went.

“Barely breaking a sweat,” the Titan boasted while Prompto rolled his eyes. His eyes trailed toward the trench that red squadron was attacking, and he noted three fighters pull in with the others providing cover for them. Worry gripped him for a moment, especially as he watched one of the Kingsglaive ships get hit by canon fire before crashing onto the surface of the space station. Suddenly, an explosion rocked his ship, and a warning sound began to beep in the cabin letting him know he had lost some power to his shield.

“What did you fall asleep?” Gladio shouted as Prompto tried to figure out where the fire had come from. He suddenly spotted an Imperial fighter typically used by officers that was aggressively speeding straight toward them. Prompto swore before taking a sudden dive, barely avoiding another hit by a torpedo that it fired. A direct hit like that would definitely take out their shield and leave them vulnerable. Prompto swerved the ship around as the torpedo trailed after them, weaving between debris and enemy ships before finding an opening where he could whip around, giving Gladio a chance to finally take out the torpedo. The officer’s ship was fast on their tail, and Prompto couldn’t help but feel like the aggressive flying style seemed very similar. He had seen it before in his days as an MT. 

“Hey, Gladio,” Prompto called, barely avoiding laser fire from the ship that was fast on their tail. No matter what maneuver Prompto tried to use to shake him off, the ship still steadfastly followed them.

“What’s with this guy?” Gladio grunted before adding, “Yeah?”

“I think we’re being tailed by Glauca,” Prompto said, voice quiet. Gladio was quiet for a moment. 

“You sure about that?” he asked, an edge to his voice. Prompto had almost considered not saying anything, afraid to awaken the Titan’s rage, but he also didn’t want to deny his friend this possible opportunity. 

“I’m pretty sure. His flying style seems very similar. I realize now why. Noct said he was once a Kingsglaive right? It reminds me a lot of how the Lucian’s fly.” Prompto liked to watch space battles to pick up tricks he could use as a pilot, and he had noticed a pattern with Imperial pilots, Lucian pilots, and pilots of a few different planets that set them apart. And the ship tailing them definitely felt more like a Kingsglaive with its reckless, yet graceful maneuvering than the more clinical style of the Imperials.

“Let’s get him,” Gladio said resolutely. “Think we can go on the offensive?”

“We can certainly try,” Prompto replied. He shot up, gracefully curving the ship around as the Imperial fighter flew under them, before ending up on its tail instead.

“Hell yeah,” Gladio shouted, before beginning his own barrage of fire at the enemy ship. Prompto, meanwhile, kept his attention split between the fighter in front of them and the line of fighters still trailing them. This was going to be tricky, but they may be able to pull it off. Gladio certainly deserved the opportunity.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy May the Fourth! In this chapter the Kinsglaive must take out Zagnautus Keep before it has a chance to fire upon the rebel base.

Back at the trench, things were getting heated. Fighter pilots zipped around them as the rest of red squadron tried their best to keep them clear for the shot. Explosions rocked outside the trench as ships crashed or were blown up and it was impossible to know if it was a companion or an enemy with everything going on around them; unless they happened to be talking on the comlink at the time, only to have their chatter abruptly cut off. Noctis tried not to think on those moments too much and instead trained his eyes for any ships that made it past their thinning shield of fighter pilots surrounding them. One or two of the tie fighters managed to make it through and he and Pelna made quick work of them while Nyx true to his word had been doing an excellent job taking out the canons. Things were going pretty smoothly, all things considered, but unfortunately that wouldn’t last.

Noctis sensed them before he saw them. “Three fighters, coming in fast,” he warned. “On red leader’s 9.” 

“Copy,” Nyx replied while training a steady gaze left and upward until he spotted him. “Good call red 15. Red 14, cover me.”

“Copy,” Pelna replied. He didn’t have space in the trench, so he broke away slightly in order to train his fire on the enemy ships. Noctis inexplicably felt tense after the maneuver, and he couldn’t figure why.

“Red leader, we’re coming up on a tower,” Noctis warned.

“I see it,” Nyx replied, dodging some of the enemy fire from the three fighter ships before surging ahead, the tower in his sights. None of them were tracking on a fourth ship that suddenly popped out from the other side of the tower and headed straight for their captain.

“Shit,” Noctis swore before streaking toward the ship in order to intercept it. Pelna, however, beat him to it, diving in over Nyx from above and smoothly taking out the enemy ship. Unfortunately, it also placed him square in front of the tower which proceeded to fire at him, taking him out in one hit. Nyx and Noctis heard Pelna’s final shout before his comlink went dead as the ship exploded and crashed into the trench below them.

Noctis felt cold as he tore his eyes away from the wreckage; he needed to take out the remaining fighter that was still trailing them so Nyx could focus on the tower and their journey ahead. Noctis tapped into his anger and sorrow that had been building up over the last several days and used it to abruptly twist around, narrowly missing the side of the trench as he lay fire on the last ship, taking it out before circling back round behind Nyx. Nyx had similarly made short work of the tower, leaving just the two of them to fend for themselves. 

“Red leader to red 2,” Nyx called out. Red 2 was Nyx’s closest friend, Libertus Ostium. He was a strange pick for a fighter pilot, since he always complained that it made him queasy, but he was reliable and had survived many close battles since joining the Glaive. He typically stuck to gathering intel, but in a situation like this it was all hands on deck.

“Copy red leader,” Libertus called. He was zipping about above them somewhere, but it was hard to tell which ship was his specifically with everything going on. 

“We lost red 14. I am going to need you to help cover me, when you have a chance,” Nyx replied, voice calm in spite of the tragedy he had just faced. Pelna had looked up to Nyx a lot, and Noctis knew he had to be hurting. There was just no time to mourn.

“Roger. I’ll make my way to you,” Libertus replied, voice obviously a bit shaken over the news. Until Libertus joined them, it would just be Noctis and Nyx; there was a lot of pressure since more and more fighters were beginning to slip through.

“Keep your eyes open,” Nyx said as they continued forward.

“Roger,” Noctis replied. He was hyper focused on the enemy ships and tapped into the energy of the crystal in order to give him an edge; there was no room for error at this point. Nyx, meanwhile, continued to dodge enemy fire as best as he could while picking off the towers. They had reached about the halfway point when they met their next major obstacle. A pair of tie fighters suddenly approached from either side when they were coming up on another turret from the front; Libertus had not yet reached them from having to weave through the battle above which left only the two of them to try to deal with three different targets. Noctis banked up out of the turret in order to meet the one to the right which was closer while Nyx focused on taking out the tower. Although Noctis immediately flipped around upon taking out the first fighter so he could go after the second, it was already too late. The fighter managed to land a hit on one of Nyx’s wings as he fired upon the tower, damaging him enough to slow his speed while he retaliated and returned fire, taking it out shortly after the tower.

“Red leader’s been hit!” Noctis called, and he heard Lunafreya’s gasp over the comlink from where she was listening in.

“I’m fine,” Nyx replied, assuring everyone on their channel. “I won’t be able to continue to fly in this condition though. Red 3, I’ll need you to also provide cover. Red 15, you are now assigned to torpedo duty. Think you can make the shot?”

Noctis’s heart hammered in his chest. He had never attempted anything so challenging before, but he had no choice. It needed to be done, and with his family’s attunement to the crystal he was the best one for the job. “I can do it,” he said. At that moment, both Libertus and Crowe Altius, another friend of theirs arrived in order to provide Noctis support.

“Be careful,” Libertus said as Nyx pulled away, preparing to head back to the planet.

“I should say the same to you,” Nyx said, trying to sound cheeky although they all knew he was probably disappointed he couldn’t continue to join the fight.

“While you take your break, we’ll take care of everything,” Crowe said, tone slightly mocking. They all could picture Nyx rolling his eyes at her from his cockpit.

While the three of them surged ahead and Nyx returned to Galahd 4, Prompto and Gladio were having their own hard time on the other side of the space station. Glauca had managed to get back around them again and was once again tailing them along with several other tie fighters which all seemed eager to get a hit in. Fortunately, _Quicksilver’s_ shields had managed to continue to hold, although Glauca’s hits were slowly whittling it down.

Gladio took out another fighter as Prompto ducked under some floating debris, nearly avoiding impact and causing one of the fighters that had been trailing too closely to hit it instead. “I can’t shake this guy,” he complained as Gladio grunted in reply. The ship’s shield was suddenly hit by another blast which caused them to rock back and forth from the impact.

“How much power you got left in the shields?” Gladio asked, and Prompto looked at the meter with a frown.

“Less than 40% remaining,” he said. “We gotta do something, and fast.”

Prompto and Gladio had come back around the space station again and spotted Noctis’s ship in the trench. Only, he was now the ship in the lead, and he was flanked by two completely new fighters. Prompto felt his heart clench in fear, and in his distraction he didn’t notice Glauca suddenly maneuver around them in order to meet them head on. Fortunately, his reaction time was fast enough that when he did notice it, he managed to bank up and narrowly avoid getting shot point blank with Glauca’s much stronger blaster fire; their shields definitely would not have survived a close up attack like that.

“Keep your head in the fight!” Gladio barked at him as he took out another tie fighter that had strayed into his line of fire.

“I think Noct is in trouble,” Prompto said. He noted a white ship similar to the one Glauca was in that had come in to tail Noctis with several more flanking it. Noctis’s two companion ships were having a difficult time trying to deal with so many at once, and there were still canons ahead of them to contend with. “We should go help him.”

“Gotta shake off Glauca first,” Gladio reminded him, and Prompto frowned.

“I have an idea. Just be ready to fire,” he said. Prompto quickly banked left, and he was unsurprised when Glauca managed to keep up with him as he had been doing. Prompto continued to bank sharply, throwing both him and Gladio to the side from the force of the movement, before angling his alignment with the sun in just the perfect way to reflect the light from his ship into Glauca’s eyes, momentarily blinding him. It was just enough time for Gladio to finally get a hit in, disabling Glauca’s ship but not strong enough to destroy it; they didn’t have time for that.

Once Glauca was no longer their problem, Prompto broke out of his banking motion and dove in order to avoid more enemy fire; he pulled up suddenly, allowing Gladio another shot at the surprised enemy pilot and taking out the ship before they streaked toward the trench to support Noctis. They were three quarters of the way there and approaching fast to the port that they needed to fire upon. The two ships flanking Noctis were making steady work of the tie fighters, but more kept coming in; it seemed like the Imperials were catching on that the Glaive were up to something and were determined to put a stop to it. The white ship was sticking to Noctis and was steadily firing at him, although none of the shots appeared to have landed yet. Prompto narrowed his eyes and zeroed in on the white ship, preparing to fire until Noctis’s voice suddenly crackled over the comlink.

“Hold your fire, Prompto,” Noctis said, and the pilot blinked in confusion.

“Why? He’s firing at you,” Prompto replied.

“He’s missing on purpose. It’s Lunafreya’s brother – trust me.”

Prompto’s eyes widened. “He may need a little help getting an excuse to pull out, if you catch my drift,” Noctis added.

Prompto understood. “Gladio,” he called.

“I heard him,” Gladio replied. “Just hold steady and I’ll be able to control the shot.” Moments later, Gladio fired at one of the white ship’s wings, managing to damage it enough to cause the ship to be disabled and have to pull out. They then swooped in to take its place, providing Noctis cover by taking out the canons while the other to ships took out the remaining fighters. This gave Noctis time to focus – they were now fast approaching the port and he needed to prepare his shot.

“You got this Noct,” Prompto whispered to himself as everyone watched the young king approach their target. 

Noctis closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in deeply, before tapping into the power of the crystal. When his eyes opened, they had a red glow to them as he stared forward. In his eyes, the port entrance was suddenly lit up blue, providing him an easier target to focus on. Noctis heard the last words of his father echo in his head, ‘Walk tall my son,’ and he bit his lip before aiming his shot. He only had this one chance. 

Below them, in _Zegnautus Keep_ , the space station had finally aligned with the moon of Galahd 4 and was within firing range. Brigadier General Caligo’s lip curled up into a sneer as he looked over at the remaining stronghold of the rebel alliance. “You may fire when ready,” he called out, eyes gleaming in anticipation as he pictured the glory he was about to receive. His name would go down in history for the Empire.

As they began to count down on the bridge, Noctis was counting down himself, eyes on the target. Just as _Zegnautus Keep_ was about to fire, Noctis unleashed his torpedoes, sucking in his breath as they barreled down toward the port before successfully slipping inside. He and the others quickly pulled away from the space station, wanting to put as much space between it and them when it hopefully exploded. The other Kingsglaive fighters similarly pulled away, and mere seconds later the torpedoes made impact with the core of the space station, setting off a chain reaction that exploded it before it had a chance to unleash its devastating beam on Galahd 4. The rebels all cheered loudly as the space station disintegrated, leaving any remaining enemy ships to be picked off if they were unable to make the jump to hyperspace to escape. The Rebels had managed to survive another day.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kingsglaive celebrate their victory over the Empire.

Once the remaining Kingsglaive fleet landed on Galahd 4, they received a hero’s welcome with those that had stayed on the moon pouring out of the command center in order to cheer as the fighter pilots stepped out of their ships. Noctis especially received a warm welcome and was soon surrounded by the other Glaive who took a moment to pat him on the back or ruffle his hair in order to thank him for allowing their Rebellion to survive. Nyx and Lunafreya watched from the outer edge of the crowd, Nyx grinning at the celebration while Lunafreya’s expression was more guarded. While she was of course overjoyed they had survived, there was still much work to be done. They would have to pack up and leave quickly before the Imperial survivors that had slipped away reported back to Niflheim; there would soon be Imperial ships arriving to finish off what _Zegnautus Keep_ had started and they didn’t want to stick around for round 2. There was also much she had to reveal to Noctis about his destiny.

Lunafreya let out a small sigh which captured Nyx’s attention. He turned to glance at her. “What’s wrong, princess?” he asked. “Shouldn’t you be joining in on the celebrations?” He noticed the heavy expression in her eyes; it seemed all Lady Lunafreya seemed to do was shoulder responsibility without taking time to enjoy the little victories. But this time the victory was pretty major and he thought she deserved a break for once.

“There is much still to do,” she replied, before placing a hand on his arm and gently squeezing. “I must start preparations. Please enjoy the celebrations in my place.” She smiled lightly at him, although the smile didn’t quite make it to her eyes, before stepping away and heading back inside, her head held high and her steps sure as always. Nyx rubbed the side of his head where his hair was mostly shaved in frustration before eyeing the jubilant crowd. Moments later he had an arm wrapped around his neck in celebration as Libertus emerged from the crowd, while Crowe gave him a hard smack on the back from the other side. 

“Glad to see you made it back safely,” she said; they hadn’t heard from Nyx after he had pulled away so they hadn’t been quite sure he had managed to make it back to Galahd 4 with all that had been going on.

“Good job protecting the prince – or should I say king now?” Nyx replied. “That was a hell of a shot.”

“Regret you weren’t the one to take it?” Libertus asked teasingly, and Nyx shook his head.

“There are many things I regret, but that’s not one of them.” He thought back to Pelna’s last moments, and his eyes closed. They had lost many that day, and would not have time to mourn until they switched to a new base. Crowe and Libertus caught the change in mood and they both quieted down as they watched the cheering crowd in front of them. Libertus’s grip lightened and he slid his arm way to instead grip Nyx’s shoulder while Crowe similarly gripped it from the other side.

“Guess we should help our Lady start on preparations,” Crowe said, turning to head back inside. Nyx shot her a wry grin, realizing his friends really did know him well, and the three of them walked away and headed back inside.

Prompto and Gladio, meanwhile, had landed a little farther away from the crowd. Prompto smiled as he saw the celebrations going on around Noctis, before he spotted a figure moving through the crowd that caused his grin to grow even wider. “Hey Gladio, you may want to prepare yourself,” he said as he hit the button to open up their landing ramp. 

“What was that?” Gladio called from where he was still sitting in the gunner bay. Prompto didn’t say anything, not wanting to ruin the surprise. Moments later the pitter patter of feet made their way up the ramp and Gladio’s sister popped her head into the cockpit moments later. Prompto motioned toward the gunner bay, and Iris shot him a wide grin before dashing down the hall and leaping down inside, surprising Gladio who barely had enough time to catch her before the siblings shared a hug.

“I’m glad you’re ok,” Iris said, arms wrapped around her brother as he carried her up out of the gunner bay, using one hand to hold her steady as the other was used to climb up the ladder.

“I did have the best pilot in the galaxy flying the ship,” he boasted. “And I am the best shot in the galaxy.”

“Isn’t that Noct?” Iris asked with a giggle. “On both accounts.”

“Are you the reason he’s got such a big head?” Gladio growled, and Iris grinned at him. “He did make a hell of a shot, I’ll give him that.”

Once they were back in the main hall, Gladio set Iris down before bringing her forward to finally meet Prompto. “This is Prompto Argentum. He freed me from the Empire and we’ve been partners ever since. He’s the Captain of this ship – _Quicksilver_.”

Prompto stood up from the pilot’s chair and quickly bowed his head in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Prompto said with a smile, and then was surprised as Iris bound forward and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back in surprise, wide blue violet eyes looking past her at Gladio who merely shrugged with a wide grin.

“Thank you for keeping my brother safe,” Iris said. She then pulled away. “Also, your ship is really cool! I watched you guys for the whole battle – Gladio is right, you are a really good pilot even if I think Noctis is better.”

Prompto chuckled – it was obvious Iris had a bit of a crush. “I guess I’ll take that,” he said with a grin. “You both should head out to catch up and celebrate though.”

“Won’t you come with us?” Iris asked, and Prompto hesitated before shaking his head. He remembered the looks he had received before and didn’t want to get in anyone’s way when they should be celebrating.

“I’m not big on crowds,” he said, which was kind of the truth. “Besides, the shields took a lot of damage in that fight and I want to make sure they’re fit for the next trip.”

“You will be coming with us right?” Iris asked, looking at Prompto hopefully. Prompto felt Gladio’s gaze on him as well and froze for a moment. He glanced back out at the crowd celebrating behind him, Noctis in he middle looking happier and more relaxed than he had seen him so far. The young king had been through a lot in the past several days, and Prompto couldn’t help but feel the bright smile tug at his heart a little.

“Yeah, I think we will,” he said, not noticing the way Gladio’s eyes sharpened as he caught the direction of his gaze. 

Iris cheered before grabbing her brother’s arm and dragging him outside to join the celebrations. They joined up with Cindy who was waiting outside – she gave him a smile and a wave, and Prompto waved back before watching as they disappeared into the crowd. It was nice seeing Gladio reunite with his family and to be a part of something bigger than both of them for a change. However, he couldn’t help but feel that emptiness gnawing at him that had started the moment they had first arrived on the small moon. He still felt like a bit of a stranger and wondered how long it would be before he felt like a part of the Kingsglaive and not like an outsider. Prompto shook his head before throwing himself into the one thing that usually helped clear his head – repair work on his ship.

Noctis, meanwhile, had finally made his way through the crowd, hair a tousled mess and some of his adrenaline and euphoria starting to wear off as exhaustion sunk in. His eyes scanned the crowd for any of his friends – he knew he had seen Lunafreya and Nyx earlier but both appeared to be absent now. He noted Prompto’s ship and frowned when he realized it had landed a bit far out from the rest of the activities; Prompto had really helped them in the battle and also deserved some recognition. Finally, Noctis spotted his oldest friend, and his eyes lit up as he caught sight of 1GN1S. “Iggy!” he shouted, rushing over to his droid. 

The droid looked relieved to see him. “I am glad you made it back safely,” 1GN1S said, worry evident in his voice. 

“With you watching me down here and providing support, how could I not?” Noctis asked. “Thank you for being by my side the whole battle.” He grinned at the droid who seemed pleased by his compliment. He seemed to spot something coming up from behind Noctis, but before the king could turn around he was nearly knocked over by a hug from behind.

“Noct!” Iris said happily, and Noctis turned to give her a soft smile. 

“Hey Iris,” he said, before looking up to see Gladio and Cindy both standing behind her. Gladio had his arms crossed with a slight scowl on his face while Cindy looked amused.

Noctis narrowed his eyes at Gladio, and the Titan suddenly grinned, looking amused. “Good job out there today,” he said.

“You did great, Noct!” Cindy agreed.

“I had a lot of help. Really, you’re all the ones I need to thank,” Noctis replied. Gladio gave him an appraising look at his words before looking thoughtful for a moment.

“I’m sure you’re exhausted,” Gladio said slowly. “I know of a place where you could probably get some peace and quiet for a bit.” Gladio tilted his head toward _Quicksilver_ and Noctis quickly caught onto his meaning.

“I could use a break,” he admitted, finally pulling away from Iris. “Look after the big guy, ok?” he asked, and she nodded.

“Of course! Provide Prompto good company – he looked kind of lonely when we left,” she said, before turning to greet 1GN1S. Noctis blinked in surprise at her words before looking back at Gladio and Cindy.

“Yeah, the kid decided to stay aboard instead of joinin’ the festivities,” Cindy shrugged. “I don’t think he’s quite comfortable here yet.”

Gladio slapped Noctis on the shoulder before moving past him to follow 1GN1S and Iris who were heading toward the hangar bay in order to get some refreshments. Cindy winked at Noctis before also stepping past him. Noctis’s brows furrowed at the odd signals he was receiving from his friends before his eyes locked onto Prompto’s ship. Prompto did deserve to get some recognition for his contributions that day and Noctis would honestly appreciate the peace and quiet on his ship; in his short time on the ship, he had started to find it comfortable and he knew he wouldn’t be bothered by anyone while in there.

Noctis made his way toward the ship, accepting the pats on the back and the greetings as he made his way through the crowd, and felt relief as the crowd thinned the closer he got to Prompto’s ship. The ramp was still down and it was pretty quiet; Noctis wondered for a moment if the other man really was on board until he heard the soft sounds of tinkering coming from inside. Noctis quietly made his way up the ramp and crept down the hall toward the sound, stopping when he saw Prompto with his head halfway in a panel as he used a flashlight to peer at some wiring. He was muttering something to himself as he worked, and Noctis was struck by the fact he did in fact appear lonely just as Iris had said.

“Hey,” he said softly, causing Prompto to jump in surprise before hitting his head against the top of the panel in the process. He sucked in his breath in pain before pulling his head out, turning to face Noctis and appearing surprised as he rubbed at the spot where he hit his head.

“What are you…I mean, hey. I’m surprised they let you pull away. You’re the man of the hour!” Prompto’s voice sounded light and teasing but Noctis could tell there was an underlying heaviness to it.

“I hate crowds,” Noctis replied simply before stepping forward and pulling Prompto’s hand away so he could inspect the injury. It wasn’t bleeding although a small knot had formed. Noctis frowned before glancing at Prompto who was trying to avoid his gaze as a pale blush formed on his cheeks. ‘Cute,’ Noctis thought before shaking his head.

“Got anything for that?” he asked, and Prompto nodded before taking him to the living area where he stored his med kit. Noctis pulled out some cooling spray that would help with the swelling and the pain and carefully took care of the injury before they made their way to Prompto’s small table where they had their discussion that seemed like ages ago even though it had barely been more than a day.

“So, do you regret staying?” Noctis asked, tilting his head at Prompto. Prompto glanced at him before shaking his head. 

“It was the right decision,” he replied. Noctis’s gaze softened.

“And now?” he asked, voice hesitant but hopeful. Prompto turned to look at him, and studied his face for a moment.

“I want to stay. That is…if it’s ok. I think some people won’t like it…” Prompto started to say, but Noctis shook his head.

“You’re a hero, Prom. If anyone has a problem with it, they’ll have to go through me and our friends. And trust me, no one is going to argue with us.” He gave Prompto a confident smile, and Prompto couldn’t help but look a bit relieved. “We’ll be really lucky to have you join the cause. You’re a damn good pilot.”

“I dunno, Iris let me know quite clearly that you’re a better one,” Prompto said with a chuckle, and Noctis shook his head.

“She’s a little biased,” he admitted. His eyes then began to grow heavy; all of his exhaustion was finally overtaking him and for the first time in days he finally felt comfortable enough to allow himself to rest. 

“You sure you want to sleep here, buddy?” he heard Prompto’s voice ask, but it seemed far away.

“Mmm comfortable,” Noctis said sleepily before slumping over the table and passing out.

Prompto shook his head as he watched his new friend pass out on his table. He carefully moved Noctis back and lay him down on the booth seating so he would at least be more comfortable. He then went to grab a blanket and a pillow, smiling softly when he saw how peaceful Noctis looked in his sleep. Prompto realized that he felt a little less lonely, and felt touched that Noctis chose to come and check on him instead of celebrating with the rest of his friends. ‘I really did make the right decision,’ Prompto decided resolutely. He wasn’t sure what his future with the Kingsglaive would be like, but if it meant being surrounded by friends, Prompto would take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that wraps up Episode I! Episode I more closely matches Episode IV of Star Wars but also sets up where the story will start to differ in Episode II which is going to more center around those Royal Arms and Noctis's destiny. I should get started on Episode II real soon - please look forward to it ^^


End file.
